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Ex  IGtbrts 


SEYMOUR   DURST 


-^  '  'Tort  nieuw    t^4r7t/ierda-n  o^  de  H.attha.tafus 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

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Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


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ISrOTB     THIS     TP\^A.3Z>E     ls/L.A^lPili^     CXjOSIUI-i'S^  I 
. oQo 

JOHN  J.  DONALDSON,   President |  HERMANN   SCHAEFFER,  Vice-Pres.;  A.  L,   DONALDSON,  Treasuw. 

THE  DR.  JAEGER'S 

SANITARY  WOOLEN  SYSTEM  COMPANY, 

827-829    Broadway,  PJcw   York. 

bram:cpi     HOXJSES  : 
199  Broadway,  (Western  Union  Building,)  New  York;  366  Fulton  St.  (near  Smith  St.,)  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


To  Dr.  Gustav  Jaeger,  of  Stuttgart,  Germany,  belongs  the  honor 
of  giving  to  the  world  the  first  System  of  Clothing  based  throughout 
upon  strictly  scientific  principles.      Its  distinctive  feature  is, 

"All  Wool,"  "All  the  Year  Round,"  in  all  Climates,  at  all  Seasons, 
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The  Sanatory  Woolen  Garments  are  more  healthful,  more  com- 
fortable, than  any  other  —  and  no  less  becoming. 

These  goods  are  manufactured  under  Dr.  Jaeger's  supervision,  and 
sold  by  the  above-named  Company  and  their  authorized  agents  ONLV. 

Garments  made  to  order  a  specialty. 

Catalogues,  containing  descriptions,  illustrations,  samples  of  mate- 
rials, and  a  full  price-list,  free  by  mail. 

Orders  for  goods,  by  mail  or  express,  and  letters  of  inquiry,  should 
be  addressed  to 

Dr.  JAEGER'S  Sanitary  Woolen  System  Co., 

827-829  BROADWAY,  NEW  York. 


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ELITE  SHOE  DRESSING 

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Sold  at  all  Shoe,  Drug,  Grocery,  Dry  Goods  and  Fancy  Stores, 
generally.  Buy  one  bottle  and  try  it,  and  we  are  confident  you  will 
use  no  other. 

Dealers  will  please  send  all  orders  direct  to 

THE  TILGHMAN    ELITE   MFG.  CO., 

2237   Eighth  Ave.,  New  York  City. 


"Phosphate  Health" 

Baking"  Poivder. 


Mother's  Milk,  Wheat  and  Oats  contain  Phosphates.  It  is  Nature's 
food  for  Brain,  Bone,  Blood  and  Nerves.  This  Powder  is  free  from 
cream  of  tartar,  alum  or  rochelle  salt.  If  you  would  have  strong, 
healthy  children,  feed  them  biscuit  and  cake  made  from  "  Phosphate 
Health"  Baking  Powder.     Samples  mailed  free. 

N.  Y.    PHOSPHATE   CO., 

124  Warren  St.,  New  York. 


a 


GUION  LINE 


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United  States  Mail  Steamers 


BET^^ATBEIX 


ew  ^ork,  iPueenstown  and  m^iverpool. 


ALASKA,  6,500  tons. 

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ARIZONA,        6,500  tons. 
WYOMING.     3,716       " 
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Sji/ung  from  New  York  every  Tuesday. 


Cabin  Passage  from  New  York,      -      -      $60,  $80   and   $100 
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Htfifiroife  to  or  front  Queftnutotpn,  Liverpool,  London,  Ulasgow,  Belfast  or  Londondert-y  at  Low  Katas. 
ORAfTS  «n  Ireland,  England  and  Scotland  at  Low  Rateit. 


Apply  to  A.  M.  UNDERHILL  &  CO.,  General  Agents, 

35    Broadway,    New  York. 


N.  B.  —  AGENTS  IN  ALL  IMPORTANT  TOWNS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


EHN 


G 


pjajvQs 


ARE  THE  FAVORITES. 


FACTORY   AND    WAREROOMS, 


es. 


N  E  W^     YORK 


piAisro3 
Rented,  Exchanged  and  Sold  on  Installments. 


TERMS     LIBERAL. 


We  shall  be  pleased  to  mail  Illustrated  Catalogues 
and  furnish  particulars  upon  request,  and  respectfully 
solicit  an  inspection  of  our  establishment. 

BEHNING    &    SON. 


HETfiOGKAPlIS: 

A  History  of  New  Yort  City  prior  to  Die  Revolution; 

Bioc^apliies  of  Georp  WasliiiiitoD,  AlexauJer  Hamilton,  Nathan  Hale; 
Sietcies  of  Jolin  Anlre  M  Beverly  RoMnson; 

Sclenies  of  Aaron  Bnrr  anJ  Benedict  ArnoM- 

Portraits  of  Henry  Hudson,  Petrus  Stuyvesant.  Alexander  Hamilton, 

Maj.-General  Alexander  Hamilton,  Beverly  Robinson,  Maj. 

John  Andre,  Aaron  Burr  and  Benedict  Arnold; 

with  other  Illustrations  and  Designs: 

MORE  THAN  A  HUNDRED   LETTERS  AND  SIGNATURES 

OF  FAMOUS  PERSONS,  MANY  OF  WHICH  HAVE 

NOT  PREVIOUSLY  BEEN   PUBLISHED: 

A  Fac-simile  of  an  Priginal  Official  M.ap  of  the  City  of  New 

York,    made    in    1728,    representing    all   the   Sti\eets, 

■^LOCKs,  Wards,  |Ceys  and  Docks  then  existing. 


By    F.    S.    BARTRAM. 


New  York: 
YALE    rUBLISHING    COMPAXY, 

126  WILLIAM   STREET. 


EntEred    according    to    Act    cf     CongrEss,    in    the    year    IBSa,    by 

F.     S.     BURTRiiM, 

In    the    QfficB     of     the    Librarian    of     Cangress,    at    Washingtan,    B,    C. 


^5^E.SS   o^ 


F.  S.  &  C.  B.   g-^ARTRAM, 
-O 1 — ' «. 


'^0 


"■'■MM  St.,  NE~« 


n(0^ 


!>*- 


FACSIMILE   OF  AN   ORIGINAL   MAP   OF  THE   CITY   OF   NEW   YORK,    MADE   IN   1728    FROM   ACTUAL  SURVEY; 
Dedicated  by  William  Bradkord,  Government  Printer,  to  His  Excellency,  John  Montcomerie,  Captain-General  and  Governor-in-Chief  of  His  Majesty's  Provinces  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 


SUMMARY  OF  CONTENTS. 


Pages 

Aboriginal  Americans  (burial,  ii;  clothing,  29; 
language,  11,  10;  niarnage,  10,  id;  money, 
11;  painting,   5,  10;  ]iliysic|ue  and  food,  g, 
16,  iS;  punishment,  12;  trails,  U-16;  tribes, 

2,  11;  warfare,  12;  worship,  12,16) I-17 

Adams,  John (15,  ill,  116,  117,  1 18,  121 

Adams,  Aliss  Alice  (Nathan  Hale's  fiancee) 148 

Affairs  at  outset  of  campaign  of  1777 83 

Agheroeuse  (gold-painti.'d  inter]neier) 4 

Aims  of  the  new  Government,  as  formulated  by 

Alex.  Hamilton 113 

Alexander  Hamilton  Tost,  G.  A.  K 137,  144 

A  long  voyage c8 

Analysis  of  Alex.  Hamilton's  physiognomy no 

Ancient  jiorcelain  tiles  (illustration) 68 

.Viidre,  Maj.  John,  151);  portrait 160 

his  arrest  (illus. ),  165;  confession,  165;   tomb 
in  Westminster,  166;  letter  to  Washington,  92 

pleading  with  his  captors 163 

tried,  sentenced  aud  hanged 166 

Andros,  Sir  Edmund,  appointed   Governor   and 

becomes  obnoxious,  41 ;  recalled 43 

appointed  Royal  Gov.  of  N.  Eng.  and  N.  Y.  .   44 

shipped  to  England  by  the  Bostonians 45 

Animals  of  New  Netherland 5-7 

Ante-Revolution  patrons  of  122  William  street. .  69 
Ami-Poverty  Society's  vernacular  reversing  the 

words  of  Holy  Writ 172 

Argument  for  a  tariff  for  home  protection 114 

Arnold,  Henedict.  69;  portrait 15c; 

acts  of  his  early  life  at  Norwich 168 

appointed  Military  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  158 

appointed  to  command  at  West  Point ii;8 

at  the  defeat  of  Rurgoyne 86 

claims  of  his  apologists I[;6 

ends  his  military  career  as  a  bushwhacker.  .  .  .  167 

his  battletieUls i^y 

breakfast  with  Lafayette  and  Hamilton. .  .  164 

brutish  propensities 157 

burial-place  unknown 170 

business  sign  and  advertisement ...  167 

escape  by  the  ' '  Vulture  " 165; 

marriage,  158;  moral  obliquity li;6 

negotiations  with  Clinton 158-161 

pass  to  "Anderson"  (autographic) 162 

plan  for  the  surrender  of  West  Point 162 

proposed  conundrum  as  to  music 157 

prostitution  of  oflicial  powers 158 

selection  of  time  for  treachery 157 

learns  of  Andre's  capture 164 

price  of  his  sale   157 

squanders  his  money  and  dies  in  obscurity.  . .  .  170 
where  his  spirit  still  holds  mischievousvigils.  .  170 

Arrivals  of  the  bated  pnper  and  stamps 57,  59 

A  tavern  becomes  the  City  Hall 34 

Author's  work  in  anticipation  of  a  centennial.  .  .  172 
Autographs  of  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence   174,  175 

Autographs  of  signers  of  the  Federal  Constitu- 
tion       176.  177 

Autographs  and  biofrraphicnl  sketches  of  Wash- 
ington, Napoleon.  George  I.  George  II, 
Cromwell,  Henry  TV,  Louis  XTV,  Mary  Stu- 
art, Wm.  Penn.  Walter  Raletjh,  Francis 
Bacon,  Christopher  Wren,  Cardinal  Wolsey, 


Pages 

John  Locke,  Rubens,  Rembrandt,  Dr.  John- 
son, Southey,  Drydeii,  Luther,  liurke,  Cran- 
nier,  Galileo,  Voltaire,  liyron,  Kelson,  17S-196 

Harnett.  ILirrison 67,  142 

lialtle  at  ISrunswiek,  80;  at  Germanlown 82 

Rattle  of  Golden  Hill 65,  66,  149 

Rattle  on  Long  Island 80 

Haudaritius  describes  the  "wonderful  "  country,   18 

Rayard,  Col.  Nicholas 45 

Rayard,  William 56,  136 

Reekman,  Capt.  Theopliilus 149 

Reginning  of  resistance  to  "Stamp  Act" 55 

Reilamont,  Lord  (Governor) 49 

Renckes,  Admiral 41 

15enson  (N.  Y.  delegate  to  convention) loi 

Riographical  sketches 178-196 

Rirds  of  New  Netherland 7 

Rlair,  John  (Va.  delegate  to  convention) 102 

Rlennerhasset  (13urr's  fellow  Mexico  invader) .  .  .  141 

Rlok,  Adri.ien  (discoverer) 2 

"  Rlue  Laws  "  in  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  18 

Rogardus,  Rev.  Everdas  (first  clergyman) 28 

his  death  by  shipwreck 35 

Rogues.  Rev.  Isaac  (first  Catholic  missionary). .    15 

Rooth,  Mary  L.  (historian) 150 

Rradford,  Wm.  (first  printer  and  publisher). ...  48 

his  tomb  and  epitaph 53 

Rritish  vessels — Asia,  14S;  Princes^,  5;  \'ulture,  160 

Roston  "massacre  "(?) 65 

Byron's  letter  (autographic)  to  an  edilor 193 

Rurnelt,  Wm.  (Governor)    5° 

Rurnside,  Maj. -Gen.  A.  E 145 

Rurr,  Aaron — as  seen  by  Mr.  Barnett 142 

borrows  money  from  Hamilton 128,  129 

cast  out  of  the  party 125 

challenges  Hamilton 133 

diary  record  of  his  wretchedness I42 

dismissed  by  Washington  for  profligacy 12 1 

driven  from  New  York  by  jiublic  contempt.  137,  I41 
his  appointment  .   .   "a  lasting  disgrace". ...  122 

Cain-like  wanderings  in  Europe 141,  '42 

correspondence  with  Hamilton 129-I3' 

disunion  plotting '3^ 

extortions  and  borrowincs 138 

interview  with  a  son  of  his  victim '42 

military  and  political  positions '22 

opinion  of  Hamilton's  power 125 

relation  to  honor 13' 

conspiracy  for  invasion  of  Mexico 141 

indicted  for  murder 140,  14' 

living  iir  concealment 14' 

plotting  to  become  Dictator 140 

refused  an  interview  by  French  Emperor 141 

repulsed  by  portrait  of  Talleyrand's  idol 142 

swears  vengeance  upon  Hamilton 128 

the  plea  and  verdict  upon  his  trial 141,  'S^ 

supporter  of  JelTerson 121 

zero  of  his  last  days    '42 

Renedict-.\rnold  school  of  humanity 121 

Ruildings  in  New  York  in  1674 42 

Cabot  (discoverer) 27,  36 

Calhoun,  John  C 105 

Calls  for  conventions  of  States 100,  lol 

Canadian  and  Indian  wars 55 

Casus  belli  of  the  Revolution 61 


VI 


S  U  M  M  A  R^Y 


O  F 


P 


O  NTEN  TS 


Cause  of  an  English  atheist's  conversion 173 

Cause  of  massacres  and  Indian  wars 27 

Centennial  of  adoption  of  Federal  Constitution . .  73 
Changes  in  municipal  titles  and  govern ment.  .40,  41 

Characters  ascribed  to  the  Constitution 105 

Charles  II's  grant  to  the  Duke  of  Vork 36 

Charter  from  Holland  to  trade 2,  26 

Chartering  a  National  Bank 106 

' '  Charter  of  Liberties  " 43 

Chase,  Salmon  P 112 

Church,  John  C 122 

Citizens  assaulted  by  British  soldiers 63 

Citizens'  patrol  (first  New  York  police) 42,  64 

City  lots — first  deed  and  price  of,  34;  first  clmrch 

yard  (Morris  street)  sold  for 42 

City  records  kept  in  two  languages 40 

Clarke,  Geo.  (Governor) 50 

Cleai^er  insight  into  Washington's  character.  .  .  .  179 

Clinton,  Admiral  Geo.  (Governor) 51 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry 81,  87,  90,  157 

his  instructions  to  Andre 160 

unimproved   opportunity  to  capture  West 

Point 1 65 

Clinton,  George  (Governor) 100,  loi,  no 

Golden,  Cadwallader  (Governor) 

51.  54.  55.  61,  70-  71.  148 
Colonists  jubilant  over  accession  of  Protestant 

William  and  Mary 45 

Colonizing — special  efforts  of  encouragement.  .  .   25 

Colony  at  Manhates 17 

Colve,  Capt.  Anthony  (Governor) 25,  41 

Comparison  of  Hamilton  and  Webster 140 

Composition  and  functions  of  Congress  in  1781 .  .  103 

Confederation  of  provinces  first  suggested 52 

Confiscation  of  Van  Cortlandt's   and    Bayard's 

property 46 

Conflict  between  "  Aristocracy  "  and  "Democ- 
racy " 127 

Congress  calls  upon  Hamilton  for  reports 112 

Congress  moves  from  Philadelphia  to  Lancaster,  82 
Connecticut-New  Vork  boundaries  adjusted.  ...   40 

Conspiracy  against  Washington 85 

Constitutional  Convention 73 

Continental  Congress  in  1 777 84,  85 

Continental  financiering 104 

Contract  between  Hudson  and  East  India  Co. .  .   23 

Conway.  Gen 92,  122 

Cooper,  Dr.  Chas.  D 54,  120 

Cornbury    Lord  (Governor) 50 

Correspondence  between  Governors  Minuit  and 

Bradford 27 

Correspondence  between    the    seconds    in    the 

Hamilton-Burr  duel 132,  133 

Cornwallis,  Lord 80 

Corstiaensen.   Hendrick (17)  25 

Cosby,  Col.  Wm.  (Governor) 50 

Council  of  Deputies 152 

"Cow  Boys" 162,  163 

Crol,  Sebastian  Jansy  (Bastiaen  Crol) 17,  29 

Crowning  acts  of  British  tyranny 56 

Cruger,  John 56,  59 

Cunningham,  Marshall 69,  70,  71,  153 

Currency  of  the  States 104 

Death  of  Hamilton's  son  in  a  duel 128 

Defying  Fort  Amsterdam 33 

DeLancey,  Chief-Justice 51,  54 

Delaware — description  of.  i ;  its  settlers 13 

Delegates  at  first  convention  of  States loi 

Delegates  from  Virginia  to  second  convention.  .  lo2 

Deliberations  ;ind  results  of  the  convention 105 

Demagogue-nursed  absurdity  of  the  times 170 

Demands  for  destruction  or  removal  of  stamps.  .  58 
Depreciation  of  Continental  currency.  ...(104  )  157 

Dinsniore,  Lord  (Governor) 71 

Dix,  Maj.-Gen.  John  A 144 

Drinking  "confusion  and  dismay"  to  the  King.  .   33 


Pages 

Dongan,  Col.  Thos.  (Governor) 43,  44 

Dangan  Charter,  The 44 

Dongan's  pacification  of  the  Indians  and  trou- 
bles with  religious  zealots 44 

Duke  of  York 41,  44 

Duel  between  Hamilton  and  Burr 136 

Dutch,  The,  confident  that  they  will  "bloom  like 

the  cedar  on  Lebanon" 3c) 

Early  corruptions  in  New  York  ward  politics,  .  . 

121,  122,  123 

East  India  Company 2,  3,  4,  23 

Education,  General  —first  agitation  for 53 

Edwards,  Jonathan    121 

Election  of  Presidential  electors 124 

England's  disdam  for  the  colonists 60,  61 

England's  restrictions,  demands  etc 55 

English  municipal  titles  and  forms  settled 41 

Episcopalian  religion  advanced 48 

Error  and  the  riglit  as  to  strength  of  the  I'edcral 

Government 108 

Evertson,  Admiral 41 

Execution  of  Leisler  and  Milborne 47 

Federalists  and  the  "  Kentucky"  resolutions.  .  .  .  106 

Ferries  established 54 

Finch,  Francis  M. — his  tribute  to  Nathan  Hale,  154 

First  administration  of  Holy  Communion 29 

First  cemetery 32,  42 

First  city  police  station 64 

First  college 53 

First  fort 26 

First  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  SherifFof  New  York,  40 

First  practical  steps  toward  liberty 57 

First  President  and  Vice-President  elected ill 

First  publication  in  New  York 53 

First  public  library    53 

Fish  of  New  Netherland .  . .  T 8,  14 

Fletcher,  Col.  Benj.  (Governor) 48 

Fort  Amsterdam  in  1642  (illus.) 33 

Fort  Mitilin  sacrificed  l)y  Putnam's  neglect go 

Franklin,  Benjamin 52.  56 

Franklin's  letter  (autographic)  to  a  member  of 

Parliament 168 

Franklin's  "Confederation  of  the  Colonies".  .  .   56 

"Freedoms  and  Exemptions  Act,"  The 25 

"  Fresh-Water  Pond  "  murder,  The 27 

Gage,  General 58 

Garfield,  James  A 136 

Garret,  John 150 

Gates.  General 86,  87,  92,  93,  121 

General  Assembly — first  call  for  a,  43;  dissolved,  61 

Genet,  "Citizen" 54,  I15 

Genuine  poverty 172 

George,  Henry  (p'seudo  philosopher) 170 

Gilford  property.  The  (2  illus.) 67,  69 

God-given  qualities  of  Revolutionary  heroes.. .  .  173 

Godyu  (discoverer) 2,  29 

Godyu's  Bay 3 

Gold— discovery  of =; 

Golden  Hill 64,  6(5 

Governors  of  New  York  — 

1624-1631— Peter  Minuit 25,  28 

31-     3:; — (ad  interim)  K.  Van  Remund.  ...   28 

33.     37— Wouter  Van  Twiller 25,  32 

38-     46— Wm.   Kicft 4,  21;,  33,  35 

47.     64— Petrus  Stuyvesant 25,  31;,  37,  38 

64-    68— Cnl.  Richanl  Nicholls 25,  36,  39 

68-     73— Col.  Francis  Lovelace 25,  41 

73.     74— Capt.  Anthony  Cob'c 25,  41 

74-     8^— Sir  Edmund  Andros 41,  43 

S3-     88 -Col.  Thomas  Dongan 43,  44 

88-  89— Francis  Nicholson 4"; 

89-  90  — (assumed)  Jacob  Leisler ^'^-48 

go-     91— Col.  Henry  Slauchter 46-48 

91-  92— Maj.  Richard  Ingoldsby 48 

92-  98— Col.  Benj.  Fletcher 48 

98.1702— Lord  Uellamont 49 


^u 


M  M  A  P^Y 


OF 


f 


(INTENTS, 


Clovt-iiuirs  (if  Now  York  (coiUliuicil) — 

1702- 1 70S  — Lord  Coriibuiy 50 

8-     10  — Lord  Lovel.ice 50 

10-     19 — Ilrig.-dcii.   Hunter 50 

19-     ,  , — William  liuiiictt 50 

19.     31 — John  Moiiti^omcric 50 

31-  32  — Ri|)  Van  D.im 50 

32-  36— Col.  Van  Cosby 50 

36-    43  — (assumed)  George  Clarke 50 

43-     53 — Admiral  George  Clinton 50 

53-     .. —Sir  Danvers  Osborne 51 

53-    55— Chief  lusiicc  DeLancey S'j  54 

55-     .  . — Sir  Charles  I  lardy 54 

55.     60 — Chief-justice  IX'I.ancey 54 

60-  61  — Cadwallader  CoUkn 54 

61-  63— Gen.  Robert  Moncton 54 

63-     65— Cadwallader  Colden 55 

65-     69 — Sir  Henry  Moore Co 

69-  70 -Cad walLnler  Colden 61 

70-  "Jl — Lord  Dinsmore 7' 

71-  .. — William  Tr)  on '. .  .    71 

71.     .  . — Cadwallader  Colden 71 

Greene,  Colonel,  74,  82;  General 84,  93 

Hale,  Nathan — his  appearance  (Dr.  Munson)..I47 

his  arrest  as  a  spy 152 

assistance  at  the  Battery 150 

birthplace  and  ancestry 147 

character  (Dr.  Sparks) 147 

enlistment  and  exploits 148,  149 

grave  unmarked 167 

interview  with  Washington 152 

patriotic  death  utterances 153 

scholarship  ( Hon.  Mr.  Hillhouse) 148 

the  only  portrait  of  him 148 

brutality  at  his  death 1 15  3 

poet's  tiilnite  (F.  M.  Finch) 154 

Halleck,  Gen.  Henry  W 14^1. 

Hallucinations,  Christian  and  pagan 21 

Hamdton,  Alexander — portrait 72,  i  iS 

accepts  another  forlorn  hope 112 

"       lUirr's  challenge   1-53 

accused  of  being  "  English" ic6,  107 

admiration  of  him  by  Chancellor  Kent 125 

advocates  ]iroteclion  to  /American  industry  ...  1 14 

appointed  Continental  Tax  Receiver 99 

as  a  contributor  to  newspapers 78 

"   student  in  King's  College 77 

as  "Little    Hamilton"   he  "trifled  with"  the 

astute  Jefferson 11:^ 

attends  to  removal  of  Mrs.  Arnold 91,  166 

at  the  close  of  his  legislative  career no 

"      second  convention 102,  105,  107 

builds  "  The  Grange" 126 

chief  in  command  of  the  army 120 

commendations  of  him  liy   Dr.  Witherspoon, 

Robt.  Troup  and  N.  Fish 77 

commended  by  Morris  for  the  Treasury in 

commissioned  Aide-de-camp  to  Washington.  .   81 

compared  with  Webster 140 

considered  Jefferson  a  lesser  evil  than  Burr.  .  .  123 

creates  a  public  credit n5 

crushes  the  "Revenue"  and  "Whiskey"   re- 
bellions   116 

declares  that  "Burr  must  not  be  Governor".  .12; 

"  "  "         "    be  defeated" 128 

eulogized  by  Justice  Miller loS 

furnishes  to  Congress  reports  upon  the  condi- 
tion of  the  country  and  public  credit n2 

given  his  first  command 70 

goes  to  tl>e  rescue  of  a  floundering  Congress  ..112 

"He's  a  little  fool !  " 79 

holds  Lord  Howe  at  bay 79 

his  ancestry 75 

appeals  to  Congress  and  the  people 82 

birthplace 71; 

burial  and  tomb 137 


vn 


PaSca 


Hamilton,  .Mexandcr  (continued) — 

his  conscientious  return  of  liberal  fee 139 

convictions  upon  tenure  of  ollice 106 

"  deal  "  with  Jctfcrsoii M4 

death  l)ed 136 

dcitendants I43   145 

duel  correspondence  with  Burr 129-131 

elioits  to  revolutionize  political  kcntimcnt.  .101 

election  to  Congress 99 

e»iimate  of  the  strength  of  liis  antagonists,  no 


family 128 

first  and  only  surrender 93 

"    battles  79 

"    position 76 

forensic  efl'ort  in  the  Croswell  case 125 

greatness  (A.  Spencer) 140 

infirmities,  individuality  etc 139 

interests  not  to  impede  the  public  good .  . . .  n8 

last  battles 99 

letter  (autographic)  to  his  wife 119 

concerning  Andre's  execution 91 

from  Virginia  to  his  wife 98 

of  instructions  to  Col.  Greene 83 

warning  to  John  Hancock 82 

on  Gen.  Gates's  defeat 92 

Gen.  Putnam's  neglect 89 

his  separation  from  Washington . .  95 

to  a  schoolmate 76 

Gen.  Gates 88 

Gen.  Pinckney 126 

Gen.  Putnam 89 

Gov.  Clinton,   deploring  the  de- 
generacy of  Congress 84 

his  letter  to  Gov.  Jay,  on  election  of  Presiden- 
tial electors  by  the  people 124 

his  letter  to  Lafayette  about  Arnold 98 

Miss  Schuyler  on  Arnold's  treason 

and  his  sorrowful  wife qi 

his  list  of  war  necessities S6 

magnanimity ni 

maiden  speech 71,  78 

manly  confession  in  the  Reynolds  affair.  . .  140 

marriage 93 

military  entry  into  Princeton 81 

mission  to  Gen.  Gates ; 86 

olTicialannouncementofWashington'sdeathl20 
objections  to  an  atheist  and  fanatic  at  the 

helm  of  State 124 

his  opposition  to  liurr 138 

"  election  of  Jefferson 120 

paper  upon  matters  connected  with  the  duel,  133 

precocity  and  attainments  in  youth 75,  77 

prediction,  100 — as  to  disunion 123 

prescience   107 

(jualifications 75 

regard  for  lawful  rights 79 

response  to  W\ishington's  reproof 74,  95 

report  to  Washington  on  mission  to  Gates,  87 

second  return  to  tlie  practice  of  law 121 

sorrow  at  the  death  of  Washington 120 

speeches  in  N.  Y.  and  remark  to  the  mob,  120 

tablet  in  Trinity  Church 138 

title  to  public  regard 74 

views  upon  conducticg  the  war 79 

will 135 

work  in  Washington's  messages 7,'> 

inconsistency  of  his  opponents 106 

in  the  shadow  of  his  impending  doom 135 

originates  planfor  West  Point  military  school,  120 

"  the  "  Monroe  Doctrine  " 115 

pledges  his  own  property  for  the  needs  of  the 

new  Government II2 

proposes  an  army  medical  department 1 18 

"        a  National  B.ink 1 13 

"        the  establishment  of  a  mint 1:4 


VllI 


S  U  M  M  A  F^Y     OF      CoNTENTS. 


Pages 

Hamilton,  Alexander  (continued) — 

resigns  otTice  of  Secretary  of  Treasury ii6 

resolves  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  colonies 78 

secures  adoption  of  Constitution  by  New  York,  no 

seeks  a  broader  field  for  his  talents 94,  98 

sees  the  absurdity  of  a  democracy 100 

selected  by  Washington  for  mission  to  England,  1 15 

suggested  for  the  I'residency 117 

"  The  Collegian" 78 

"  The  Colossus  of  the  Federalists" 125,  141 

the  confidant  and  counselor  to  Washington..   81 

death  of  his  son  Philip 128 

grandest  effort  of  his  life 1 10 

"  The  Little  Lion" 125 

"  The  one  dark  spot  in  his  career" 123 

the  success  of  his  funding  scheme 114 

"  The  West  Indian" 78 

why  he  accepted  Burr's  challenge 138 

Hamilton,  Angelica 145 

Hamilton,  Col.  Alexander  (son) 145 

Hamilton,  Col.  (and  Dist.-Att'y)  James 145 

Hamilton,  Eliza  (two — mother  and  daughter).  .145 

Hamilton,  John  C 145 

Hamilton,  Major  (and  Judge)  Charles  A 145 

Hamilton,  Maj.-Gen.  Alex,  (grandson)  118,  142,  143 

Hamilton,  Maj.-Gen.  Schuyler 144 

Hamilton,  Philip  (killed  in  a  duel  with  Geo.  L 

Eacker),  128;  two  sons 145 

Hamilton's  tablet  in  Trinity  Church   138 

Hamilton,  Wm.  (son)  and  Wm.  G.  (grandson),  145 

Hampden  Hall 71 

Hancock,  John 82,  100 

Hancock,  Maj.  -Gen.  W.  S 144 

Hardy,  Sir  Chas.  (Governor) 54 

Hayne,  John  C \ 105 

Heckman,  Louis 66 

Henry,  Patrick 74 

his  opinion  of  the  Constitution 109 

Heroic  exploit  of  Michael  Smith 149 

Hero  of  Appomattox 167 

Hicks,  Mayor,  and  the  British  soldiers 64 

Hillhouse,  Hon.  James 148 

Historical  letter  from  effects  of  J.  Konmg.  .  .  .28-32 

Holland  cedes  New  Orange  to  England    41 

Holiness  of  the  cause  of  human  liberty 173 

1  lonorable  and  humane  treatment  of  Andre   ...  166 

Ilomerule  policy  founded 43 

Hosack.  I)r 136 

I  [owe.  Admiral §2 

Howe,  Lord So,  87,  151 

I  hulson,  Henry I,  2,  9,  17,  (portrait)  23 

Hudson's  "  Half  Moon" 1,2 

Hunter,  Brig.-Gen.  (Governor ) 50 

Huyck,  Jan,  17;   Huyghen 29 

Ignobles  of  centuries 155 

Imported  goods  refused 60 

Improvements— under  Andros,  42;  under  Stuy- 

vesant.  35,  36;  under  Moncton 54 

Inception  of  American  tariff  project 114 

Indian  numerals 16 

Indictment  and  trial  for  witchcraft 18,  21 

Indignation  meetings 56 

Ingoklsby,  Maj.  Richard,  demands  possession  of 

the  Government 46 

acts  as  Governor 48 

Inscription  on  Andre's  tomb 167 

Interposition  of  Unseen  Power 162 

Interview  between  Andre  and  Arnold 161 

Irving's,  Washington,  birthjilace 69 

Isms  that  have  produced  bloody  results .  170 

Isms  that  would  destroy  all  forms  of  law 127 

Jackson,  Andrew 123 

Jameson,  Colonel 164 

Jay,  Gov.  John 84,  123,  124 

Jefferson,  Thomas 74,  109,  140,  141 

arrays  himself  against  Hamilton 113,  123 


Pages 

Jefferson,  Thomas  (continued) — 

becomes  conservative  after  election 125 

elected  President 121 

seeks  favor  with  French  revolutionists 116 

his  letter  to  Monroe  on  the  power  of  N.  V. 

City  in  an  election 124 

his  opinion  of  the  Constitution   109 

partisans  rejoice  at  the  death  of  Washington,  1 20 

pleads  the  "baby  act  " 115 

Johnson,  President  of  King's  College 54 

John-Street  Theater  (illus.) 151 

Kennedy,  Capt 59 

Kent,  Chancellor,  125;  Judge 129,  130 

Kidd,  Capt.  Wm.  (pirate) 49 

Kieft,  Wilhelm  (Governor) 4 

assumes  a  virtue  and  builds  a  church 33 

his  code  of  laws 34 

death  by  shipwreck 35 

discovery  of  gold 5 

King's  Arms  Tavern 34 

King's  College 77 

Kingsley,  Captain 144 

Kip,  Hendrick  H.  (first  grantee  of  a  city  lot) ...  34 

Knowlton,  Col 151 

Knox,  General 1 17,  164 

Krigier's  Tavern 34 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de 95,  159,  164 

Lamb,  Captain 150 

Language  of  the  natives 3° 

Lansing,  jr.,  John 102,  no 

Lasliers,  Col.  John '49 

Laurens,  President  of  Congress 84,  99 

Law  for  sale  of  Indians  as  slaves 42 

Lawrence,  Wm 148 

Learned,  General • 89 

Lee,  General 92 

Leisler,  Capt.  Jacob,  proclaims  himself  Dictator,  45 

proclaims  himself  Lieutenant  Governor 49 

hanged 47 

Leislerites  and  Anti-Leislerites 49.  5° 

Lesson  in  Constitutional  law 108 

Letter  (autographic)  from  Alex.  Hamilton  to  his 

wife 119 

Letter  (autographic)  from    Benj.   Franklin  to  a 

Member  of  Parliament 169 

Letter  (autographic)  from  Lord  Byron  to  an  ed- 
itor  193 

Letter  (autographic)  from  Lord  Nelson  to  Lady 

Hamilton 195 

Letter  (autographic)  from  widow  of  Alex.  Ham- 
ilton to  a  grandson 146 

Letter  from  Gen.  Schuyler  to  Alex.  Hamilton, 
concerning  the  latter's  resignation  as  Aide- 
de-camp  to  Washington 96 

Letter  from  Maj.-Gen.  Alex.  Hamilton  to  the 

author 143,  '44 

Letter  from  Jonas  Michaelius,  first  minister  of  the 

Church  of  New  Amsterdam 28-32 

Letter  from  Thos.  B.  Gilford  to  author 67 

Le  Guen,  client  of  Hamilton  and  Burr;  his  loan 

to  the  latter 1.30 

"Let  us  strip  him  !  "  (arrest  of  Andre) 163 

I,ewis,  Burr's  opponent  for  the  Governorship.    .  128 

Liberty  Boys 62,  65,  79,  148 

save  their  last  pole  7' 

Liberty  poles  and  "  Red-coats" 62 

Liberty-pole  proclamation 70 

Lincoln,  Abraham 123,  136,  144 

Lincoln,  General   oS 

Linonian  Society ^^4- 

Lispenard,  Leonard ^" 

Livingston,  Philip .'>"•  "' 

Livingston,  Robert   49'  5" 

Lodge,  Hon.  Henry  C   115.  123.  I4f> 

his  eulogv  of  Hamilton "S 

Loss  of  Fort  Washington 80 


^ 


U  M  M  A  F\  Y 


OF 


P 


O  N  T  E  N  T  S, 


IX 


PaRcs 

Lovelace,  Lord  (Governor) cf,  50 

descrls  N.  V.  in  lime  o(  danger 41 

punished  l)y  confiscation  of  Ins  estate 43 

Lutlieians  iK-rniuicd  to  erect  a  church 40 

Midibon,  jr.,  Janii'S 102,  105,  II5 

M.mliattun  Island  almost  depopulated  liy  Indians,  35 

Manhattans  (Indians) 3 

Manning,  Capt.  John 41 

courtmartialed  for  suneiuler  to  the  Dutch. ...   42 
Map  of  N.  V.  Cuy  (fac  simile),  executed  in  1728.  .  197 

Mason,  Rev.  Dr.  . 136,  140 

Massacre  at  I'livonia 35 

Mass  meetings  at  Hum's  cofl'ee-housc 57 

Meeting  of  the  tirst  Congress 56 

Members  of  the  lirst  Congress  threatened 56 

McGoml),  Maj.-Gen.  Alex 144 

Milborne,  Jacob  (Leisler's  secretary)  hanged.  ...   47 
Miller,  Justice  — his  tribute  to  Hamilton  and  re- 
marks on  strength  of  the  Government.  108,  IC9 

Minuit,  I'elcr  (Director) 17 

(Governor)  —his  purchase  from  the  Indians.  .  .    25 
Mulemaeckcr,  Francois,  builds  a  combined  horse- 
mill  and  church 17 

Moncton,  Gen.  Robt.  (Governor). 54 

Monopolizing  the  flour-mill  industry 42 

Monroe,  James 1 15,  1 17,  140 

Moiitayne  I  lolel,  63;  do.  House 70 

Wontgomerie,  John  (Governor) 50 

Moore,  Sir  1  lenry  (Governor) 60 

Moore,  Hishop 136,  140 

Moral  ordinances 42 

Morris,  Geo.  I' 144 

Morris,  Governeur 84,  103,  137,  139 

Morris,  Robert Ill 

"  Mugwump"  Robinsoi* 159 

Murpiiy,  Hon.  Henry  C 28 

Muiison,  Dr.  l'>neas 147 

Mutinies  of  Continental  troops 99 

Native  servitors  of  "  Manetto"  "strangers  to  all 

decency  " 29 

Negro  insurrection;  executions  and  burnings  at 

the  stake 50 

New  Amsterdam,  A  view  of,  in  1626  (illus.).  ...     3 

its  boundaries,  2;  its  colonization 13 

population  in  1626 17 

religion,  fortifications,  etc.,  in  1643 i ; 

officially  surveyed 36 

pays  tribute  to  Virginia 25 

New  Netherlands  — location  and  tribes  (1671).  .  .     2 
New  Jersey's  complaints  against  Andros's  usur- 
pations     43 

New  Orange 25,41 

Newspaper  notices  concerning  stamps 59 

New  York — discovery  of  site  of I 

its  buildings  and  laying-out  of  its  streets.  .  ,34,  42 

first  century 49 

first  English  charter  and  official  titles 40 

first  otticial  survey 36 

incorporation 35 

population 17,  51,  54 

naming  of 25,  36 

prices  of  city  lots   34 

surrendered    to  the  Dutch,  re-christened  and 

titles  restored 41 

New  York  Historical  Society 149 

New  York's  delegation  to  second  convention. .  .101 

Nevius,  Johannes 40 

Nicholson,  Francis  (Governor) 45 

Nichols,  Richard  (Governor) 25 

his  death  in  a  naval  engagement 41 

Nixon,  General 88 

Only  crime  defined  in  the  U.  S.  Constitution. .  .157 
Opinions  of  the  "Ins"  and  "Outs  "  of  the  Con- 
stitution   106 

Opposition  to  the  Constitution  bv  the  States.  . .  .  100 
Opposition  to  the  formation  of  the  Union loi 


Pauet 

Osborne,  Sir  Danvers  (Governor) 51 

r.ipeis  criminaiing  Andre  given  to  Washington,  105 

I'aierson,  General 88 

I'auldiiig  and  others  arrest  Andre  (illus. ) 1O3 

I'aying  the  delitsof  Coiigiess,  allhougli  "uncon- 
stitutional"   1 14 

I'eabody,  Judge  Cha».  A 145 

I'endleton,  Colonel 131,  I35 

Petition  to  Duke  of  York  for  abolition  of  imposts,  39 

Pinckney,  General •  •  •  '17.  '2b 

I'iracv  tkstroying  commerce 49 

I'ltt,  'iVilham     his  efforts  for  repeal  of  Stamp  Act,  Oo 
I'lerogatives  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court.  ..106-107 

I'laiin'ing  to  capture  New  "Vork 159 

Poor,  ( leneral 89 

Portraits  — Andre,  M.ajor  John 160 

Arnold,  Penedict 155 

Purr,  Aaron 121 

Hamilton,  Alexander 72 

Hamilton,  Maj.-Gen.  Alexander  ....  143 

I  ludson,  Henry 23 

Robinson,  Peverly 159 

Stuyvesant,  Petrus 37 

Postal  facilities  in  1763 54 

Poverty  — Providential,  Voluntary  and  Vicious.  .171 
Protests  of  Washington    and    Hamilton   to   ap- 
pointment of  Gen.  Gates 92 

Preparations  for  receiving  the  stamped  paper.  . .    56 

Preparations  for  war  with  France 1 17 

Prescience  of  framers  of  the  Constitution 104 

Primitive  New  Amsterdam 25-51 

Primitive  New  Netherland 1-24 

its  attractions  (Baudaritius) 18 

Property  to  be  improved  or  confiscated 42 

Provost,  Bishop 48 

Purchase  of  Louisiana 106 

Purchase  of  the  island  of  Manhattan 26 

Puritans  (Brownists),  The 17 

Putnam,  General 87,  89,  90,  121 

Quarrel  between  Dominie  and  Governor 32 

(^uincy ,  Josiah 65 

Railers  at  Hamilton 106 

Raising  of  fifth  liberty  pole 7° 

Randolph,  John I^o 

Raritan  Indians  killed  for  alleged  theft  of  pigs.  ,   35 
Raritan  Indians  annihilate  Staten  Island  colony.   35 

Ratification  of  the  Constitution 105,  109 

Reasoning  that  encourages  revolt  and  vice 172 

Rebellions— ".Shay's,"  100;    "Revenue"  and 

"Whiskey" 116 

Religions  in  New  Amsterdam 15,  16 

Removal  of  cannon  from  the  Battery 150 

Rents  in  1658 36 

Reptiles  of  is'ew  Netherland 8 

Result  of  a  French  dinner 115 

ResultsoftheswayofStates'Rightstheorists  100, 104 

Retreat  from  White  Plains 80 

Reynolds-Hamilton  affair,  The 140 

Rivers,  Names  of '4 

Robinson,  Col.  Beverly 59,  (portrait)  159 

Roelandsen,  Adam  (first  schoolmaster) 28 

Rosecrans,  General 144 

"  Royal  Old  Fossil  "  Colden  and  Congress.  ...   57 

Ruggles,  Timothy 57 

Rutger's  (Col.)  farm-house  (illus. ) 153 

Saddest  act  of  Washington's  life '66 

Sandford,  Chas.  W^ '44 

Scheme  to  embarrass  Washington 9^ 

Scheming  with  Congress 94 

Schools  orcranized 3" 

Schuyler,  Gen.  Philip 93.  96,  97>  '45 

Schuvler,  Miss  Elizabeth 93 

Scott',  Lieut.-Gen.  W.  F 144 

Scurrilous  circular  by  the  l6th  Regiment 63 

Security  for  the  Republic 127 

Sedgwick,  Theodore 120,  I3S 


/ 


U  M  M  A  R^Y 


OF 


f 


O  NTENTS. 


Pas 


Shippen,  Miss  Margaret 15S 

Ship's  load  of  tea  destroyed 71 

Shoemaker's  Land 65 

Slaughter,  Col.  Henry  (Governor) 46,  48 

Slave  trade  and  slaves  in  N.  Y 42 

Smith,  Joshua i6o 

Smith,  Melancthon 1 10 

Smith,  Sergt.  Michael 149 

Smith,  Thos.  W 150 

Socialists  and  Socialism 127 

Societies  to  resist  monarchical  powers  in  the  Con- 
stitution   1 10 

Society  of  the  Cincinnati 1^8 

Sole  remaining  landmark  of  Golden  Hill.  .  .  .67-69 

Sons  of  Liberty 56)  7 1 ,  79 

Sparks,  Dr.  Jared 147 

Spencer,  Ambrose I40 

Stamp  Act  (Lord  Greenville's) i;5 

Stamp  Act  repealed 60 

Stamps  given  toCity  Government  for  safe  keeping,  eg 

Stanzas  by  Byron Iq4 

Staten  Island 3,  35,  41 

States  represented  at  first  Congress 56 

States'-Rights  advocates  blatant 157 

States  treat  each  other  as  foreign  powers 104 

Statue  of  George  III  converted  into  bullets 60 

Statue  of  \Vm.  Pitt  destroyed 60 

Stevens,  John    59 

Stuart,  Gilbert 118 

Stuy vesant,  Petrus  (Governor) 35-3S 

inscription  on  his  tomb 38 

Success  over  French  privateers 120 

Suicide  of  Gov.  Osborne 51 

Sunday  and  Prohibition  laws 44 

Tablet  on  tomb  of  Hamilton's  wife 145 

Talleyrand 121,  141 

Tallmadge,  Major 164 

Taverns-— one  becomes  the  City  Hall,  34  ;  Kri- 
gier's.  34;  King's  Arms,  34;  Moniagne,  63, 

70;  Walton 54 

Tax  on  tea 62 

Taylor,  Gen.   Zachary 144 

"The  Const itirtion  as  it  was" 105 

The  human  Washington iSi 

The  minister's  plaint,  hope  and  prayer   31 

The  sexton  does  not  know  "where  Arnold's  car-- 

cass  is" 1 70 

Three  patriots'  meeting  by  the  roadside 165 

Thurman,  Lieut.  Ralph 149 

Tiighman,  Mr 95 

Troup,  Robt 77)  7S,  135 

Traits  of  the  American  eagle 7 

Trial  for  slander  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bogartlus 32 

"  Twenty  acres  and  a  mule  " 171 


Page 


Twin  fr'olics  of  antiquity 22 

Two  methods  of  preparation  for  a  duel 138 

Trinity  Church  erected,  enlarged,  burned,  rebuilt,  48 

Tryon,  Wm.  (Govemorj 71 

Uncertainty  as  to  ratification  of  the  Cotrslrtuiion,  105 

"Uncle  Dev. "  raises  Clinton's  fears 164 

L^nconstitutional  laws  of  the  States 109 

Utopian-George-McGlynn  panacea 171 

Van  Cleef,  Hendrick  Christiaensen I7>  25 

Van  Cortlandt,  Stephanus  (Mayor) 45 

Van  Uam,  Rip  (Governor) 50 

Vandeput,  Captain 148,  m 

Van  Gelder's  sculpturing  on  Aitdre's  torrib 167 

Van  Ness,  W.  P 118 

Van  Twiller,  Wouter  (Governor) 25 

his  purchase  of  islands 35 

Varieties  of  poverty 1 70 

Verrazani  (discover);  his  description  of  the  new 

country 1-2 

Vesey,  Rev.  Wm.  (first  rector  of  Trinity) 48 

Victories  at  Princeton  and  Trenton 81 

View  of  New  York  in  1626  (illus. ) 3 

Wordsworth's  definition  of  "honor" 131 

Waldenses,  settlers  of  Delaware 13 

Walloons,  The 29 

Walton  Ilouse,  The 54 

Wampum — genuine  and  spurious 1 1>  34 

War  between  Englarrd  and  France 116 

Warner,  Chas.   Dudley 153 

Warren,  Colonel 84 

Washington,  Geo. ,  elected  President 1 1 1 

as  President  of  second  convention lc2 

insists  upon  Hamilton's  seniority 117 

forgets  the  "  pig  tail  "  to  his  signature 179 

slighted  and  humiliated 156 

unpopular  when  retiring  from  the  Presidency.  iSo 

victimized  by  Jefferson's  tactics 113 

his  death 120 

diary,  and  extracts  from 103,  lo8- 

language  under  provocation 74 

last   letter   an   endorsement  of  Ilarrriltun's 

projected  military  school 120 

his  letter  to  Gen.  Putnam 89 

methodical  accounts 1 80 

retjuest  of  Hamilton 1 18 

Wealthiest  patriot  of  the  Revolution 180 

Webster,   Daniel 105 

Wellington,  Duke  of 145 

West  liidia  Company 13,  15.  17.  26 

Wolcott,  Oliver 60,  135 

Wrangle  in  convention  o^■er  representation 105 

"  Write  just  one  letter  to  Nathan  !  " 148 

Yale  Fountain  Pen  Company 68 

Yates,  Chief-Justice '. 102,  1 10 


J^ 


-^Ifinr.^^ 


XIJ    HIS    VOLUME  of  miscellany    embraces    fragments    of   liistory, 
^-r      biography,  autography,   etc.       It   is    not    cumbered  with  sjjcc- 

rulations,    nor    trailitions,    nor,    wittingly,    with    tedious    or    un- 
necessary tlctails. 

It  makes  minor  pretensions  to  lilerar}-  display — to  classical 
diction  or  other  elements  of  style  —  aiming  rather  to  be  a  reliable 
.'  compcnd  of  certain  salient  historical  and  biographical  events  :  a  suc- 
J  cinct  compilation  of  facts  of  peculiar  significance,  of  abiding  interest 
—  the  recapitulation  of  which  seems  especially  pertinent  to  the  pres- 
ent time. 

It  contains  much  that  is  new  in  connection  with,  and  in  rela- 
tion to,    that  which  is  old,    but  which  should  not  be  forgotten. 

Since  history  is  perpetually  repeating  itself,  there  may  be  in 
these  few  reminiscences  valuable  intimations  to  such  as  live  not  for  the 
day  merely,  but,  wlio,  pursuing  their  present  tasks,  also  take  thought 
for  the  morrow,  indulge  hopes,  cherish  purposes  and  devise  plans  for 
the  future.  By  contemplating  the  past,  we  the  more  quickly  discern, 
and  the  more  apdy  divine  the  import  of  the  shadows  that  coming 
events  cast  before.  The  gift  of  prediction  is  the  fruit  of  retrospec- 
tion. 

F.   S.    B. 


"  There  is  a  history  in  all  men's  lives, 
Figuring  the  nature  of  the  times  deceas'd 
The  which  observed,  a  man  may  prophecy, 
With  a  near  aim,  of  the  main  chance  of  things 
As  yet  not  come  to  life;  which  in  their  seeds, 
And  weak  beginnings,   lie  intreasured  : 
Such  things  become  the  hatch  and  brood  of  Time." 

—  King  Henry  IV. 


Ch:a.i»ti^]ii  I. 

o — n — ° 

§^pirr)ilivc  •  I  Jew  •  IJclncrlana. 

' ^1^'^ • 


^  H  E  origin  and  date  of  the  first  discovery  of  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  New  York  is  involved  in  some  doubt,  though 
generally  accredited  by  writers  to  Henry  Hudson,  an  English- 
man by  birth,  who,  in  1609,  being  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch, 
sailed  southward  and  westward  in  command  of  a  craft  of  about  eighty 
tons  burden,  named  the  "  Half  Moon"  and  manned  by  about  fifteen 
seamen.  His  ultimate  purpose  was  to  discover  a  northwest  passage  to 
the  East  Indies,  After  cruising  about  the  coast  from  New  Foundland 
to  Chesapeake  Bay,  he  landed  on  the  first  day  of  September  of  that 
year  at  the  Highlands  of  Navesink;  which,  in  his  first  report  to  the 
Dutch  Company,  he  described  as  "A  very  good  land  to  fall  in  with  and 
a  pleasant  land  to  see."  A  day  or  two  afterward  he  sailed  up  to  Sandy 
Hook,  thence  along  the  eastern  coast  of  New  Jersey  and  anchored  off 
Staten  Island,  where  the  Indians,  the  original  settlers,  came  out  in 
large  numbers,  in  canoes  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  and  surrounded 
his  vessel,  bringing  vegetables,  fruits  and  tobacco,  which  they  desired 
to  exchange  for  knives,  guns,  beads,  etc.  Their  familiarity  and  friend- 
liness, as  well  as  their  avidity  to  trade,  indicates  that  former  explorers 
had  visited  them,  though  the  only  previous  evidence  of  record  is  that, 
in  1 525,  an  Italian  named  Verrazani,  in  the  service  of  the  French, 
is  supposed  to  have  sailed  into  the  South  Bay ;  but  his  description  of 
his  adventures  is  vacrue,  and  mioht  refer  to  several  other  localities 
between  the  coasts  of  Delaware  and  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  he  reports 
to  have  cruised.  He  first  reached  the  coast  of  Delaware,  and  describes 
the  country  as  follows  : 

"After  proceeding  some  hundred  leagues  to  the  northward  we  found  a  very  pleasant 
situation  among  some  steep  hills  through  which  a  very  large  river,  deep  at  its  mouth, 
forced  its  way  to  the  sea.  From  the  sea  to  the  estuary  of  the  river  any  ship  heavily  laden 
might  pass  with  the  help  of  the  tide,  which  rises  eight  feet.  But  we  would  not  enter 
with  our  vessel  without  a  knowledge  of  the  mouth,  so  took  a  small  boat,  and  rowing  up, 


2  Primitive    New    Nether^land. 

found  the  country  on  its  banks  well  peopled  with  Indians,  dressed  out  with  feathers  of 
birds  of  various  colors,  who  came  to  meet  us  with  evident  delight,  and  showing  us  where 
we  could  moor  our  boat  most  advantageously. 

"After  passing  up  this  river  about  half  a  league  we  found  a  most  beautiful  lake,  three 
leagues  in  circuit,  upon  which  they  were  running  thirty  or  more  of  their  small  boats  from 
one  shore  to  the  other,  filled  with  multitudes  who  came  to  see  us.  All  of  a  sudden,  as 
often  happens  to  navigators,  a  violent  contrary  wind  blew  in  from  the  sea,  which  forced 
us  to  return  to  our  ship,  greatly  regretting  to  leave  this  region,  which  we  suppose  must 
also  contain  great  riches,  as  the  hills  showed  many  indications  of  minerals." 

This  report,  which  Verrazani  made  upon  his  return  to  France  some 
time  afterward,  furnishes  the  only  evidence  of  his  being  the  discoverer 
of  this  island,  which,  prior  to  that  time,  and  for  how  long  a  period  is 
only  known  to  the  Creator,  was  the  abode  of  wild  Indians,  who  inhab- 
ited the  whole  country,  known  as  the  New  Netherlands,  extending 
alonof  the  coast  between  Virginia  and  New  England,  and  were  divided 
into  tribes  called  "Packamies,"  "Raritans,"  "Tauketeks,"  "  Wick- 
queskesks,"  "  Hackensacks,"  "  Schaghticokes,"  "  Canarsees,"  "  Mat- 
tinecocks,"  "  Misaquages,"  "  Makwotes,"  "Corchangs,"  "Mohikans," 
"  Shinecocks,"  "Secataugs,"  "Sanhicans"  and  "Manhattans"  —  the 
latter  tribe  being  in  undisputed  possession  of  this  island,  which  name 
("Manhattan")  was  afterward  given  to  it,  and  significantly  indicates 
"  drunkenness  and  conviviality."  This  new  country,  and  the  peculiari- 
ties and  habits  of  these  various  tribes,  have  been  thought  of  so  much 
interest  that  a  description  of  New  Netherland,  written  in  1 671,  is  here 
submitted.  This  is  taken  from  "  De  Nieuwe  en  Onbekende  Weereled  : 
of  Beschryving  van  America  en't  Zuidland  :  door  Arnoledus  Montanus. 
Amsterdam,  167 1,"  (a  work  which  is  very  rare,)  and  is  as  follows  ; 

[TRANSLATION.] 

"  New  Amsterdam,  bounded  on  the  southwest  by  Virginia,  stretches 
on  the  northwest  to  New  England  ;  on  the  north  it  is  washed  by  the 
river  Canada  and  on  the  coast  by  the  ocean.  Northwesterly,  inland,  it 
remains  wholly  unknown.  The  first  who  discovered  this  country  was 
Henry  Hudson.  Engaged  by  the  East  India  Company  to  find  a 
pass  to  China  north  of  America,  he  set  sail  with  the  }acht  "  Half 
Moon"  in  1609.  In  front  of  New  Foundland  he  took  a  course  directly 
southwest,  entered  a  large  river,  there  met  men  clothed  in  elk  skins, 
and  subsequently  arrived  safe  at  Amsterdam. 

"  New  Amsterdam  beine  thus  discovered,  divers  traders  set  about 
establishing  a  stable  trade  here.  Wherefore  they  sought  for  and 
obtained  a  charter  in  16 14  from  the  States  General  at  the  Hague,  to 
trade  in  New  Netherland,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others.  Earnesdy 
now  was  the  trade  prosecuted.     Adriaen  Blok  and  Godyu  soon  dis- 


Primitive    New    Nethe  p^l  and. 


3 


covcrctl  luTc  dixcrs  coasts,  islands,  liarljors  and  ri\(,Ts.  AmoiiL,'"  tlu; 
rivers  is  the  Manhattans,  or  Circat  River,  by  far  the  most  iin])()rtanl, 
which  discmboofucs  into  the  oct'an  b\'  two  wide  nioulhs,  washiivj  the 
mi_<:;^hty  island  Matouwacs.  The  south  cMitrance  was  calhxl  l\)rt  Ma)', 
or  Godyu's  Bay.  Mid\va\-  lies  Staten  Islantl,  and  a  little  further  up  the 
Manhattans,  so  called  from  the;  hal)its  of  the  i)eople  which  inhabit  the 
mainland  on  the  east  side  of  the  ri\er.  These  are  cruel,  wicket!  men. 
enemies  of  the  Hutch,  as  well  as  of  the  Sonhikans,  who  tlwcll  on  the 
west  side.  Hii^her  uj)  lie  the  I\b)kwotes  and  Mohikans,  wlio  are  con- 
stantly at  war  with  each  other;  in  like  manner  all  the  inhabitants  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Manhattans  river  frequently  make  war  upon  those 
residin''-  on  the  east  side 


/ '  fere  nirui/'    xyVrrtsUrr/am  CJ>  dcJtfanAatanS ,  -^=:^^-=i^cZ^-r^—^i ^:^^ 


NEW    AMSTERDAM,     OR    NEW    YORK    CITY,     IN     1 626. 

"  On  the  Manhattans  Island  stands  New  Amsterdam,  five  miles 
from  the  ocean.  Ships  run  up  to  the  harbor  there  from  the  sea  with 
one  tide.  The  city  hath  an  earthen  fort.  Within  the  fort  and  on  the 
outerward  bastion  toward  the  river  stands  a  wind-mill  and  a  very  high 
staff  on  which  a  fiag  is  hoisted  whenever  any  vessels  are  seen  in 
Godyu's  Bay.  The  church  rises  with  a  double  roof,  between  which  a 
square  tower  looms  aloft.  On  one  side  is  the  prison,  on  the  other  side 
the  church  and  the  Governor's  house.  Without  the  wall  are  the  houses 
mostly  built  by  the  Amsterdamers.  On  the  river  stands  the  gallows 
and  whipping  post.  A  handsome  public  tower  adorns  the  farthest 
point.  Between  the  fort  and  this  town  is  a  row  of  suitable  dwelling- 
houses,  among  which  stand  out  the  warehouses  of  the  East  India 
Company. 


J-'rimitiye    ]^ew    Nethe p^l and. 


"  New  Netherland  hath,  moreover,  dh-ers  remarkable  water  falls 
tumbling  down  from  lofty  rocks,  broad  creeks  and  hills,  fresh  lakes  and 
rivulets,  pleasant  springs  and  fountains,  which  smoke  in  winter,  are 
right  cold  in  summer,  and  nevertheless  much  drank.  Meantime  the 
inhabitants  are  not  much  incommoded  by  floods  nor  by  the  sea,  inas- 
much as  at  spring  tide  the  water  scarcely  ever  rises  a  foot  higher  ;  nor 
by  freshets,  which  cover  only  some  low  lands  for  a  short  while,  and 
enrich  them  with  their  alluvium.  The  sea  coast  rises  hilly,  out  of  sand 
and  clay,  wherefore  it  produces  abundantly  all  sorts  of  herbs  and  trees. 
The  oak  usually  grows  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high,  for  the  most  part 
free  of  knots,  for  which  reason  it  is  well  adapted  to  ship-building.  The 
hickory  trees  furnish  a  hot  and  lasting  fire,  and  a  curious  appearance 
whenever  the  bush  is  cut  away,  either  for  the  purpose  of  more  open 
hunting  or  for  clearing  the  ground  for  a  bouwery.  Some  plants  sent 
hither  from  Holland  thrive  better  even  than  in  Holland,  namely,  the 
apple,  pear,  quince,  cherry,  plum,  currant,  apricot,  buckthorn,  medlar, 
peach  and  onion.  \  ines  grow  wild  everywhere  and  bear  in  abund- 
ance blue  and  white  muscatels  and  pork  grapes  (spek-druiven).  Some 
time  since  the  wine-press  was  successfully  introduced.  The  wine  was 
equal  to  any  Rhenish  or  French  wine.  Every  vegetable  known  to  the 
Dutch  is  cultivated  in  the  gardens.  Watermelons,  as  savor)-  as  they 
are  wholesome,  are,  when  ripe,  as  large  as  cabbages.  The  English 
extract  a  liquor  from  them  Avhich  would  be  in  no  wise  inferior  to 
Spanish  wine  did  it  not  turn  sour  too  soon.  Gourds,  when  cleaned 
out,  serve  as  water-vessels.  Tobacco  produces  leaves  five  quarters 
long.  Pumpkins  grow  luxuriant  and  agreeable.  Corn,  sowed  in  hills 
six  feet  apart,  sprouts  up  readily  and  prosperously,  if  properl)-  heeded. 
Turkish  beans,  when  j^lanted  beside  the  corn,  wind  themselves  around 
the  stalk.  Gre)-  peas  prosper  here  so  well  that  two  crops  are  gathered 
in  the  year  from  one  field.  Medicinal  plants  and  indigo  grow  wild  in 
abundance.  The  barley  can  be  tied  above  the  head.  Furthermore,  all 
sorts  of  flowers  have  a  pleasant  odor  and  appearance.  The  hills  con- 
sist of  fuller's  earth,  or  clay,  fit  for  making  dishes,  pots  and  tobacco 
pipes.  There  is,  besides,  abundance  of  rock,  crystal  and  muscovy 
glass.  Other  hills  furnish  marble,  serpentine,  blue  and  hearth  stone. 
And  thoucrh  the  Dutch  have  not  taken  much  trouble  to  dicr  for  miner- 

o  c> 

als,  either  on  account  of  not  being  numerous  enough,  or  in  order  not 
to  make  other  folk's  mouths  water,  it  is  nevertheless  incontrovertible 
that  the  subterranean  cavities  in  the  hills  conceal  efold  and  silver. 

"  When  Wilhem  Kieft,  the  Governor,  employed,  in  1645,  the  Indian 
interpreter  Agheroeuse,  with  a  view  through  him  to  tej'minate  the 
difficulties  which  had  arisen  between  the  East  India  Company  and  the 


Primitive    New    Net  he  p^l  and.  S 

cruel  triht:,  the  Makwoes,  he  obscr\-ecl  that  the.  said  iiileqjreter  str(rak(Hl 
his  face  with  a  L,dittering  yellow  paint.  Kieft,  suspecting  some  valuable 
mineral  to  be  concealed  in  this  operation,  proposed  to  satisfy  Aghcr- 
oeuse,  and  subjecting  it  to  the  crucible,  obtained  two  pieces  of  gold 
worth  three  guiltlers.  Me  kept  the  matter  a  secret  and  obtain('d  from 
the  mountain,  pointed  out  by  the  interpreter,  a  bucket  full  of  this 
mat(.>rial,  which  he  found  contained  gold.  Kieft  imaginetl  he  had  now 
made  a  great  discover)-,  and  dispatched  Arend  Corson  from  New 
Haven  to  Holland  with  the  stuff.  But  as  the  ship  never  made  its 
appearance,  which  was  the  fate  subsequently  of  the  fly-boat,  the  "  Prin- 
cess," (in  which  the  Governor  was  a  passenger,  who  had  a  supply  of  the 
above-mentioned  material.)  all  further  exploration  ceased. 

"  The  natives,  divided  into  various  tribes,  mutually  agree  as  to 
painting  their  bodies,  shields,  war  clubs  and  the  lath-work  within  their 
huts.  For  this  they  use  colors  extracted  either  from  plants  or  finely- 
crushed  stones.  The  principal  plant  is  not  unlike  the  orach,  or  golden 
herb,  except  that  the  stalk  has  many  shoots  and  red-brown  berries,  the 
juice  of  which,  collected  in  the  inner  bark  of  trees,  is  laid  in  the  sun  to 
dry,  and  is  then  preserved  in  little  pouches.  The  inhabitants  temper 
the  paint  with  water,  and  then  streak  the  body.  It  produces  the  most 
beautiful  purple  that  can  anywhere  be  found.  Their  pictures  represent 
canoes,  trees  and  animals,  but  are  indifferently  executed.  Instead  of 
plumes  they  bedeck  themselves  with  hair,  tied  with  small  bands.  The 
hair  is  of  a  scarlet  color  and  surprising  brilliancy,  which  is  permanent 
and  ineffaceable  by  rain. 

"  The  horses  in  New  Netherland  are  brought  from  England,  or 
from  the  diocese  of  Utrecht.  Those  from  the  bishopric  far  excel  the 
English.  Both  are  subject  to  a  curious  disease,  whereof  many  die  in  a 
few  hours.  The  same  disease  attacks  horned  cattle  that  are  pastured 
on  new  ground.  But  hay,  grown  in  salt  meadows,  is  found  to  be  a 
remedy  against  this.  Hogs  fatten  exceedingly  in  the  woods  —  those 
fed  on  Indian  corn  give  the  sweetest  pork.  Sheep,  though  very  thriv- 
ing, are  not  numerous,  because  the  settlements  cannot  spare  any 
persons  to  keep  watch  against  the  wolves ;  besides,  venison  is  so 
abundant  that  the  sheep  can,  on  this  account,  be  the  more  easily  dis- 
pensed with.  Fowls,  turkeys,  geese,  pigeons  and  other  feathered 
game  are  also  easily  obtained.  Lions,  whose  skins  the  Indians  bring 
to  market,  are  caught  in  a  high  mountain  situated  fifteen  days'  journey 
to  the  southwest.  [This  is  evidently  the  panther. — Author.]  Here, 
also,  are  many  pitch-black  bears,  shy  of  men,  but  which,  when  attacked, 
spring  on  the  hunters.  They  first  stop  their  wound  with  a  pledget  of 
leaves,  and  if  the  hunter  meanwhile  takes  refuge  in  a  tree,  climb  after 


6  ,         Primitive    New    Nether^land. 

and  above  him,  then  stick  their  head  between  their  legs  and  fall  down- 
ward. They  sleep  during  the  winter  lying  six  weeks  on  one  side  and 
an  equal  time  on  the  other,  sucking  their  paws.  A  cripple  bush  or  hol- 
low mountain  serves  them  for  a  sleeping-place. 

"  On  the  borders  of  Canada  animals  are  sometimes  seen  somewhat 
resembling  a  horse  ;  they  have  cloven  hoofs,  shaggy  manes,  a  horn 
right  out  of  their  forehead,  a  tail  like  that  of  the  wild  hog,  black  eyes, 
a  stag's  neck,  and  love  the  gloomiest  wilderness  ;  are  shy  of  each  other, 
so  that  the  male  never  feeds  with  the  female,  except  when  associating 
for  increase.  Then  they  lay  aside  their  ferocity,  and  as  soon  as  the 
nutting  season  is  past  they  again  not  only  become  wild  but  even  attack 
their  own. 

"  South  of  New  Netherland  are  found  numerous  elks,  animals  which, 
according  to  Erasmus  Stella,  constitute  a  middle  class  between  horses 
and  deer.  They  appear  to  derive  their  Dutch  appellation  (eelanden) 
from  elande  (misery),  because  they  die  of  the  smallest  wound,  however 
strong  they  may  otherwise  be ;  also,  because  they  are  frequently 
afflicted  with  epilepsy.  They  have  broad,  branching  horns,  a  short  tail, 
a  shaggy  neck,  variable  hair,  according  to  the  season,  wide  and  long 
ears,  prominent  lips,  small  teeth,  a  thick  hide,  which  cannot  be  easily 
pierced-  The  females  separate  from  the  males  when  they  have  shed 
their  horns.  Both  can  be  easily  tamed.  When  hunted  they  spew  hot 
watef  out  on  the  dogs.  They  possess  great  strength  of  hoof,  so  as  to 
strike  a  wolf  dead  at  a  blow.  Their  flesh,  either  fresh  or  salted,  is  very 
nutritious  ;   the  hoofs  cure  epilepsy  or  falling  sickness. 

"  But  no  game  is  more  abundant  here  than  deer,  which  browse 
everywhere  in  large  herds.  When  flying  before  wolves  or  hunters 
they  ofttimes  head  toward  streams,  betake  themselves  to  the  water, 
where  they  are  taken  in  great  numbers,  for  while  swimming  they  get 
frightened  by  the  echo  from  the  mountains  raised  by  the  hunters  on 
the  opposite  bank ;  they  dare  not,  consequently,  approach  land.  Mean- 
while the  hunters  tie  branches  together,  by  which  the  deer,  after  being 
chased,  are  sometimes  dragged  down. 

"  New  Netherland  also  produces  many  muskrats,  especially  in 
marshy  ground.  The  animals  are  particularly  beautiful ;  the  skin,  by  its 
black  spots,  has  a  handsome  appearance  ;  the  mouth  is  full  of  sharp 
teeth  ;  the  tail  trails  far  behind.  Many  learned  men  dispute  respecting 
the  civet,  namely,  whether  it  be  the  seed  of  the  civet  cat.  Cardamis 
so  maintains,  but  he  is  thoroughly  refuted  on  this  point  by  Julius  Scal- 
iger  Matthiolus,  whose  opinions  many  embrace.  He  affirms  the  civet 
to  be  the  sweat  of  the  cat,  inasmuch  as  it  was  gathered  most  plentifully 
whenever  these  animals,  wearied  by  excitement,  pant  for  breath  ;  but 


Primitive    New    Nethe  r^l  and.  7 

while  the  sweat  ch'oppcd  from  the  whoU;  bod)',  yet,  as  it  did  not  im- 
pregnate the  whole  with  nuisk,  it  cannot  be  musk. 

"  In  addition  to  other  wild  animals,  New  Nclhcrland  furnishes, 
according  to  the  occular  evidence  of  Adriaen  Van  der  1  )onk,  eighty 
thousand  beavers  a  year.  Moreover,  they  live  in  the  water  and  on 
land  together  in  troops,  in  houses  built  of  timber  oyer  a  running  stream. 
The  houses  excite  no  common  admiration  ;  they  are  thus  constructed  : 
The  beavers  collect  together  all  the  drift  wood  they  can  find  along  the 
river,  and  when  this  is  insufficient  they  gnaw  away  in  the  next  adjoin- 
ing wood  all  the  sweetest  bark  with  their  front  teeth,  of  which  they 
have  two  in  the  upper  and  two  in  the  lower  gum  ;  they  then  cut  right 
around  the  trunk  until  the  tree  falls,  when  they  shorten  the  pieces  in 
like  manner,  and  adapt  them  to  the  proposed  building.  The  females 
carry  the  pieces  on  their  backs,  while  the  males  support  them,  so  they 
will  not  fall  off.  Their  houses  rise  ingeniously  to  the  height  of  five 
stories,  they  are  smeared  above  with  clay,  to  protect  them  from  rain  ;  in 
the  middle  is  a  convenient  aperture,  through  which  to  dive  into  the 
water  at  the  approach  of  any  person.  Wherefore  one  of  the  troop 
keeps  watch  by  turns,  and  in  the  winter  a  second  keeps  the  water  open 
by  constant  beating  with  his  tail.  The  tail  is  flattish,  without  hair,  and 
most  dainty  food,  which,  in  some  places,  is  served  up  as  a  rare  delicacy. 
The  beavers  go  with  young  sixteen  weeks ;  each  female  raises,  once  a 
year,  four  young,  w^hich  nurse  and  cry  like  little  children.  .  .  .  They 
live  on  leaves  and  bark,  and  are  excessively  fond  of  their  young. 

"  The  air,  also,  abounds  with  all  sorts  of  birds.  Besides  falcon, 
sparrow  hawks,  fish  hawks  and  other  birds  of  prey,  there  are  numbers  of 
eagles,  differing  from  each  other,  for  some  are  greyish,  others  browner, 
except  the  head,  neck,  tail  and  striking  feathers,  which  are  of  a  snow- 
white  color.  All  have  a  strong  body,  bones  without  marrow,  claws  as 
long  a  man's  finger,  the  bill  strong  and  crooked,  the  brains  dry,  the 
eyes  small  and  hollow,  the  feathers  hard,  the  right  foot  bigger  than  the 
left,  both  ill-looking,  the  blood  gross  and  the  excrement  highly  offen- 
sive. They  build  their  nests  in  old  groves  where  the  ground  is  clear 
of  underwood,  also  beside  water,  as  they  feed  on  fish  and  devour  all 
sorts  of  fowls  and  even  rabbits,  hares,  tortoises  and  other  four-footed 
game  that  sleep  in  the  open  air — yea,  when  ahungered,  they  attack 
each  other.  Some  of  these  species  strike  their  prey  at  midday,  others  at 
the  rising  of  the  sun.  They  fall  like  lightning  on  the  game  they  pursue, 
and  the  blood  of  animals  serves  them  for  drink.  They  are  excessively 
lascivious,  .  .  .  amalgamating  with  hawks,  wolves  and  the  like. 
They  hatch  out  large  eggs  in  thirty  and  small  ones  in  twenty  days. 
They  usually  breed  two  to  three  young,  w^hose  eyes  they  turn  toward 


8  Primitive    New    Nethei^land. 

the  sun's  rays.  If  these  regard  the  hght  of  heaven  without  bHnking^ 
they  bring  them  up  ;  otherwise,  those  that  cannot  stand  such  a  test  are 
driven  from  the  nest.  The  young,  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  fly,  are 
taken  up  into  the  air  and  left  there.  Sometimes  they  are  sustained 
by  the  old  birds,  who  leave  them  as  so'on  as  they  are  fit  to  strike 
at  game.  Their  sharp-sigh tedness  is  most  remarkable,  for,  lifted  up  in 
the  clouds  far  beyond  the  eye  of  man,  they  perceive  the  smallest  fish 
in  the  water  and  the  smallest  skulking  hare  in  the  stubble.  Their 
breath  is  very  offensive  ;  they  are  very  long-lived  and  die  mostly  of 
hunger,  as  the  bill  becomes  by  age  so  crooked  they  cannot  open  any- 
thing, whereupon  they  finally  fly  to  the  highest  region  toward  the  sun^ 
tumble  down  into  the  coldest  stream,  pluck  out  their  feathers,  clammy 
with  sweat,  and  so  breathe  their  last. 

"  Besides  many  other  birds  of  prey,  there  are  also  here  an  innumer- 
able amount  of  herons,  bitterns,  ravens,  crows,  owls,  swallows,  finches, 
kingfishers,  hedge  sparrows,  woodcocks,  pheasants  and  wrens.  The 
woodpeckers  excel  the  most  in  beautiful  plumage  and  crests.  The 
pigeons  fly  in  such  flocks  that  the  Indians  designedly  remove  to  their 
breeding  places,  where  the  young  birds,  pushed  by  hundreds  from  their 
nests,  serve  for  food  during  a  long  month  for  the  whole  family.  Here 
is  also  a  wonderful  little  bird,  scarcely  an  inch  long,  quite  brilliant  of 
plumage  and  sucking  flowers  like  a  bee  ;  it  is  so  delicate  that  a  dash  of 
water  instantly  kills  it,  and  when  dried  is  preserved  as  a  curiosity.  But 
this  country  abounds  in  turkeys,  whose  number  excites  no  less  admira- 
tion than  their  rich  flavor  and  their  large  size,  for  they  go  together  in 
flocks  of  thirty  and  forty,  weighing  thirty  or  more  pounds  each,  and 
are  shot  or  caught  with  a  bait  concealing  a  hook.  The  waters  here 
swarm  in  spring  and  fall  with  swans,  geese,  wild  ducks,  teals,  widgeons, 
divers,  spoonbills  and  pelicans,  besides  another  strange  species  un- 
known in  Europe. 

"The  streams  and  lakes,  rich  with  fishes,  furnish  sturgeon,  salmon,. 
£arp,  bass,  pike,  roach,  bleak  (shiners),  all  sorts  of  eel,  smelt,  sunfish,, 
which  resembles  the  bullhead  in  taste,  and  little  codfish,  which  are 
caught  near  the  waterfalls.  The  sea  provides  crabs,  both  hard  and 
soft-shelled,  gurnets,  seahorses,  seals,  codfish,  shell  fish,  whiting,  her- 
ring, mackerel,  thornbucks,  plaice,  flounders,  bream,  turtles  and  oysters, 
some  a  foot  long,  containing  pearls,  but  few  of  a  brown  color. 

"  Among  the  poisonous  reptiles  here,  is  the  dreadful  rattlesnake. 
This  is  variegated,  hath  a  thick  head,  four  long  sharp  fangs  and  a 
horny  tail  with  joints  doubled  over  each  other,  more  or  less  according 
to  age,  for  the  tail  increases  one  joint  each  year.  The  shaking  of  the 
tail  causes  a  hideous  drumming,  preliminary  to    its  biting.      It   then 


j^RiMiTiYE    New    Nethe i\l and.  9 

opens  wide  its  jaws  ;  the  upper  one  is  arched  and  hath  a  hhie  mem- 
brane, doubled  over,  from  which  it  shoots  alonj^  the  fancjs  a  deadly 
poison.  A  person  wounded  by  this  reptile  would  be  cured  with  diffi- 
culty did  the  field  not  produce  a  wholesome  antidote,  which  the  Indians 
carry  constantly  with  them. 

"The  people  are  divided  into  divers  nations,  all  well-shaped  and 
strong,  having  pitch-black  and  lank  hair,  as  coarse  as  a  horse's  tail, 
broad  shoulders,  small  waist,  brown  eyes  and  snow-white  teeth  ;  they 
are  of  a  sallow  color,  abstemious  in  food  and  drink  ;  water  satisfies 
their  thirst.  Hi^rh  and  low  make  use  of  Indian  corn  and  beans,  flesh, 
meat  and  fish,  prepared  all  alike.  The  crushed  corn  is  daily  boiled  to 
a  pap,  called  by  them  '  sappaen.'  They  observe  no  set  time  for  meals. 
Beavers'  tails  are  considered  by  them  the  greatest  delicacy.     .     . 

"  Henry  Hudson  relates  that  he  entered  the  river  Montaines  in  lati- 
tude of  40°  and  then  went  ashore.  The  Indians  made  strange  gambols 
with  dancing  and  singing,  carried  arrows,  the  points  of  which  consisted 
of  sharp  stones  fastened  to  the  wood  with  pitch.  They  sleep  under 
the  blue  sky  on  little  mats  of  platted  leaves,  suck  strong  tobacco,  are 
friendly,  but  very  thievish.  He  then  went  up  thirty  miles  higher  ana 
went  ashore  in  a  canoe  with  an  old  Indian,  having  an  escort  of  forty 
'  men  and  seventeen  women.  They  all  occupied  one  immense  hut  made 
of  oak  trees  and  the  bark  thereof.  Around  lay  drying  more  than  three 
shiploads  of  Indian  corn  and  beans,  besides  a  crop  that  stood  luxuri- 
antly in  the  field.  Hudson  hardly  entered  the  hut  when  he  was  seated 
on  two  mats  spread  on  the  floor.  Two  men  were  instantly  ordered 
to  shoot  game.  In  the  twinkle  of  an  eye,  almost,  they  brought 
in  pigeons  they  had  killed.  A  fat  dog,  which  had  been  expertly 
skinned  with  shears,  was  placed  on  the  fire  to  roast.  He  was  urged  to 
remain  over  night,  and  in  token  of  friendship,  and  to  allay  fear,  they 
■broke  their  arrows  and  cast  them  into  the  fire  ;  but  he  did  not  remain. 

"The  clothing  of  these  New  Netherlanders  is  most  sumptuous.. 
The  women  ornament  themselves  more  than  the  men.  Although  the 
winters  are  very  severe,  they  go  naked  until  the  thirteenth  year,  the 
lower  part  of  the  girls'  bodies  only  being  covered.  All  wear  around 
the  waist  a  girdle  made  of  the  fin  of  the  whale  or  seawant.  The  men 
wear  around  the  body  a  lap  of  duffel's  cloth,  or  leather,  half  an  ell 
broad  and  nine  quarters  long,  so  that  a  square  piece  hangs  down  back 
and  front,  just  over  the  abdomen.  The  women  wear  a  petticoat  down 
midway  the  leg,  very  richly  ornamented  with  seawant,  so  that  the  gar- 
ment sometimes  costs  three  hundred  guilders.  They  also  wrap  the 
naked  body  in  a  deer's  skin,  the  tips  of  which  swing  with  their  points. 
A  long  robe,  fastened  on  the  right  shoulder  with  a  knot,  at  the   waist 


10 


Primitive    New    Nethe r^l and. 


by  a  girdle,  serves  the  men  and  women  for  an  upper  ornament  and  at 
night  as  a  bed  covering.  Both  go  for  the  most  part,  bare-headed.  The 
women  braid  their  hair  behind  in  a  plait,  over  which  they  draw  a 
square  cap,  thickly  interwoven  with  seawant.  They  decorate  with 
the  same  material.  Around  the  neck  and  arms  they  wear  bracelets  of 
seawant  and  some  around  the  waist.  Shoes  and  stocking's  were  made 
of  elk  hide  before  the  Hollanders  settled  here  ;  others  made  shoes  of 
straw.  The  men  paint  their  faces  many  colors.  The  women  put  on  a 
black  spot  only  here  and  there.  Both  are  uncommonly  faithful.  Their 
houses  are  built  for  the  most  part  after  one  plan,  varying  chiefly  in  size, 
the  usual  breadth  being  about  twenty  feet.  The  following  is  the  mode 
of  construction  :  They  set  various  hickory  poles  in  the  ground,  accord- 
ing to  the  plan  of  the  size  of  the  building.  The  tops  are  bent  together 
above  in  the  form  of  a  gallery,  and  throughout  the  length  of  these  bent 
poles  laths  are  fastened.  The  walls  and  roof  are  then  covered  with  the 
barks  of  elm,  oak  and  chestnut  trees,  one  being  lapped  over  the  other, 
as  a  protection  against  inclement  weather,  the  smooth  side  being  laid 
inward.  .  .  .  In  the  summer  they  set  up  huts  along  the  river 
banks,  to  be  convenient  for  fishing  purposes.  In  the  winter  they  re- 
move to  the  woods,  to  be  convenient  to  hunting  and  firewood. 

"  Plurality  of  wives  is  not  in  vogue  here,  except  among  chiefs,  who 
usually  have  three  or  four  ;  and  such  harmony  exists  among  these 
women  that  they  are  never  at  variance.  Minors  do  not  marry 
except  with  advice  of  parents  or  friends.  Widowers  and  widows 
pursue  their  own  inclinations,  regard  being  had  only  to  each  other's 
condition  and  children.  The  bridegroom  must  always  make  a  present 
to  the  bride.  Upon  the  slightest  misunderstanding  the  wife  is  paid  off 
and  put  out  of  doors  by  the  husband,  when  she  is  at  liberty  to  marry 
another.  Thus  some  have  a  new  wife  every  year.  In  cases  of  separa- 
tion, the  children  follow  the  mother,  after  whom  the  offspring  are  al- 
ways called.  .  .  .  Whoever  is  inclined  or  desires  to  marry,  covers 
the  whole  body,  and  thus  bemopped,  sits  by  the  wayside.  Some  female 
passerby  ere  long  releases  the  '  pig  in  the  poke.'  Confinement  oc- 
curs in  absolute  solitude,  the  mother  leaving  the  house  and  taking  up 
her  lonely  abode  in  the  woods  for  one  or  two  weeks. 

"  In  sickness  each  is  faithful  to  the  other.  The  next  of  kin  closes 
the  eyes  of  the  deceased.  After  being  '  waked'  for  a  few  days  inter- 
ment takes  place.  The  body  hath  a  stone  under  its  head  and  is  placed 
in  a  sitting  posture,  and  beside  it  are  placed  pots,  kettles  and  platter, 
spoon,  money  and  provisions,  to  be  made  use  of  in  the  other  world. 
They  then  strew  wood  all  around  it,  which  they  cover  with  planks  ;  on 
the  planks,  rived  out,  they  place  earth  and  stones ;  palisades  are  fast- 


Primitive    New    Nethe f^l and.  U 

ened  in  such  a  manner  ihat  the  tomb  resembles  a  little  house,  to  which 
they  pay  divine  reverence  ;  wherefore  they  consider  it  a  great  profana- 
tion to  violate  such  places.  The  men  make  no  noise  over  the  dead, 
but  women  carry  on  uncommonly  ;  they  strike-  their  breasts,  tear  their 
hair  and  faces  and  call  the  name  of  the  dead  day  and  night.  The 
mothers  make  the  loudest  lamentations  over  the  death  of  their  sons  and 
cut  off  their  hair,  which  they  burn  on  the  grave,  in  the  presence  of  all 
the  relatives.  Wives  do  the  same  upon  decease  of  their  husbands  ;  in 
addition  to  painting  their  face  pitch-black,  and  thus,  in  a  deer-skin 
jerken,  they  mourn  the  dead  a  whole  year,  notwithstanding  they  may 
not  have  lived  the  most  happily  together.  On  some  occasions  they  have 
meetings  for  dead  worship.  Here  conjurors  act  a  wonderful  part.  These 
tumble,  with  strange  contortions,  head  over  heels,  beat  themselves, 
leap,  with  a  hideous  noise,  through  and  around  a  fire.  Finally  they  all 
raise  a  tremendous  caterwauling,  when  the  devil  (as  they  say)  appears 
in  the  form  of  a  ravenous  or  harmless  animal  —  the  first  betokening 
something  bad,  the  other  good  ;  both  give  information  respecting  com- 
ing events,  but  obscurely,  which  they  attribute  to  their  own  ignorance, 
not  understanding  the  devil's  right  meaning  when  matters  turn  out 
differently.     .     .     . 

"The  language  of  this  people  is  various,  but  they  may  be  classed 
into  four  principal  tongues,  viz.  :  Mahatans,  Wappanoo,  Siavanoo 
and  Minquaes.  They  are  very  difficult  for  strangers  to  learn,  as  they 
are  spoken  without  principles.  Their  money  consists  of  seawant 
(wampum),  which  is  nothing  more  than  the  inside  little  pillars  of  the 
conckshells,  which  the  sea  casts  up  twice  a  year.  These  pillars  they 
polish  smooth,  drill  a  hole  through  the  center,  reduce  them  to  a  certain 
size,  and  string  the  pieces  on  threads.  The  strings  fill  the  place  of  gold, 
silver  and  copper  coin. 

"  Great  faults,  as  well  as  virtues,  are  remarked  in  the  inhabitants,  for, 
being  slovenly  and  slothful,  they  are  also  found  to  be  thievish,  head- 
strong, greedy  and  vindictive.  In  other  respects  they  are  grave,  chary 
of  speech,  which,  after  mature  consideration,  is  slowly  uttered  and  long 
remembered.  The  understanding  being  somewhat  sharpened  by  the 
Hollanders,  they  evince  sufficient  ability  to  distinguish  carefully  good 
from  evil.  They  will  not  suffer  any  imposition,  and  in  no  wise  disposed 
to  gluttony.  They  are  able  patiently  to  endure  cold,  heat,  hunger  and 
thirst.  They  are  remarkably  addicted  to  the  use  of  sweating  baths, 
made  of  earth  and  lime  with  clay.  A  small  door  serves  as  an  entrance. 
The  patient  creeps  in,  seats  himself  and  places  heated  stones  around 
the  sides.     Whenever  he  hath  sweated  himself  a  certain  time  he  im- 


12  Primitive    New    Nethefj.and. 

merses  himself  suddenly  in  cold  water,  from  which  he  derives  great 
security  against  all  sorts  of  sickness. 

"  Though  this  people  do  not  make  such  a  distinction  between  man 
and  man  as  other  nations,  yet  they  have  high  and  low  families,  inferior 
and  superior  chiefs,  whose  authority  remains  hereditary  in  the  houses. 
The  military  officers  are  disposed  of  only  according  to  the  valorous 
prowess  of  each  person.  The  commander  does  not  divide  his  soldiers 
into  regiments,  companies  or  files,  but  leads  them  on  merely  to  over- 
reach the  enemy  from  an  ambuscade.  They  undertake  most  of 
their  expeditions  in  the  night.  They  do  not  maintain  their  position 
long  against  a  sudden  onslaught,  unless  surrounded,  when  they  fight  to 
the  last  man.  Whenever  they  anticipate  any  danger,  the  women  and 
children  are  placed  in  a  secure  hiding-place.  Their  weapons  were 
formerly  the  bow  and  arrow  and  war-club.  They  now  use  the  snap^ 
haunce,  with  which  they  are  very  expert.  A  square  shield  covers  the 
body  up  to  the  shoulders.  A  snake  skin  is  tied  around  the  head,  from 
the  center  of  which  sticks  up  a  fox's  or  bear's  tail.  The  face  is  not 
recognizable  on  account  of  its  variety  of  colors.  Prisoners'  lives  are 
rarely  spared,  unless  those  of  women  and  children,  who  are  treated  by 
their  conquerors  in  the  same  manner  as  their  own,  in  order  thus  to  re- 
cruit their  numbers.  If,  however,  a  prisoner  be  not  immediately  put  to 
death,  but  handed  over  to  some  person  whose  relative  had  formerly 
been  killed  by  the  conquered  party,  he  is  roasted  for  three  days  by 
slow  process  before  he  gives  up  the  ghost.  It  excites  uncommon  ad- 
miration if  the  sufferer  sings  in  the  midst  of  his  torture. 

"  Notwithstanding  misdemeanors  are  not  punished,  wicked  acts  are 
of  rare  occurrence.  Stolen  property,  if  discovered,  is  ordered  to  be 
returned  by  the  chief.  The  next  of  kin  of  the  murdered  man  may  kill 
the  murderer,  if  he  overtake  him  within  four  and  twenty  hours.  But 
if  he  avenge  himself  later  he  is  subject  to  be  slain  by  the  relatives  of 
the  second  victim  within  the  limit  of  the  stated  time. 

"  All  obligations  acquire  their  force  from  the  acceptance  of  presents. 
They  proceed  thus  :  They  take  as  many  little  sticks  as  there  are  con- 
ditions in  their  proposals.  If  they  agree  upon  all,  each  party,  at  the 
conclusion,  lays  his  presents  at  the  feet  of  the  other. 

"  No  trace  of  divine  worship  can  hardly  be  discovered  here.  Only 
they  ascribe  great  influence  to  the  moon  over  the  crops.  The  sun,  as 
all-seeing,  is  taken  to  witness  as  often  as  they  take  an  oath.  They  pay 
great  reverence  to  the  devil,  because  they  fear  great  troul:)le  from  him 
when  hunting  and  fishing ;  wherefore  the  first  fruit  of  the  chase  is 
burnt  in  his  honor,  so  that  they  may  not  receive  injury.  If  they  ex- 
perience pain  in  any  portion  of  the  body  they  say  '  a  devil  lurks  there.' 


Primitive    New    Nethe p^l and.  18 

They  fully  acknowledge  that  a  (iod  dwells  beyond  the  stars,  who,  how- 
ever, gives  himself  no  concern  about  the  doings  of  devils  on  earth,  be- 
cause he  is  constantly  occupied  with  a  beautiful  goddess,  whose  origin 
is  unknown.  They  say  she  once  descended  into  the  water  (for  before 
the  creation  all  was  water)  and  was  about  to  sink  when  land  bubbled 
up  suddenly  under  her  feet.  Soon  a  large  globe  of  land  became  per- 
ceptible, producing  fruits  and  trees.  Meanwhile  the  goddess  produced 
deer  and  bears  and  all  sorts  of  animals.  From  these  sprung  other  ani- 
mals in  time,  and  also  men  of  various  hues,  in  disposition  either  timid 
as  the  deer  or  revengeful  as  bears,  or  rapacious  as  wolves.  After  this, 
the  oroddess  —  the  universal  mother  —  returned  to  heaven,  where  she 
enjoys  perfect  bliss  with  the  Sovereign  Lord,  whom  they  knew  not  nor 
ever  saw  ;  wherefore  they  believe  they  will  be  held  less  responsible  than 
Christians.  .  .  .  Regarding  the  souls  of  the  dead,  they  believe 
those  who  have  done  good  enjoy  every  sort  of  pleasure  in  a  temperate 
countr)'  to  the  south,  where  the  bad  wander  about  in  misery.  They 
believe  that  the  howls  of  wild  animals  at  niofht  are  the  wailings  of  the 
ghosts  of  wicked  bodies. 

"The  fertility  of  the  soil  and  favorable  situation  of  New  Nether- 
land  induced  the  Burgomaster  of  Amsterdam  to  send  a  colony  thither. 
Whereupon  they  agreed  with  the  West  India  Company,  with  the  appro- 
bation of  the  States  General  at  the  Hague.  In  the  year  i656  they 
shipped  accordingly  seventy  families,  to  which  they  added  subsequently 
three  hundred  Waldenses,  who  had  been  driven  out  of  Piedmont. 
These  embarked  on  December  i5,  by  beat  of  drum.  [This  colony 
settled  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Delaware.]  Another  colonization 
prospered  for  some  time,  but  when  the  war  between  the  English  crown 
and  the  United  Netherlands  broke  out,  the  Dutch  found  themselves, 
after  ten  years'  possession,  so  powerless  against  the  English  that  they 
surrendered  to  that  nation.  New  Amsterdam  obtained,  consequently, 
the  name  of  New  York.  The  conquered  inhabitants  then  experienced 
great  inconvenience  and  trade  was  brouorht  to  a  stand." 

Thus  closes  one  of  the  most  authentic  and  exhaustive  narratives  of 
the  primitive  conditions  of  the  land  we  now  inhabit,  and  of  the  won- 
drous and  wierd  traditions,  customs  and  characteristics  of  a  people  who 
preceded  us,  whose  obscure  origin,  purposes  and  destiny  will  always 
afford  objects  for  individual  study  and  speculation,  as  well  as  national 
interest  and  solicitude.  The  best  evidence  of  the  accuracy  of  these 
manuscripts  as  to  the  situation  and  surroundings  of  New  Netherland 
and  New  Amsterdam,  is  the  uniformity  of  dates  and  similarity  of  events 
described  by  the  various  authors  of  that  period. 


14  Primitive    New    Nethe r^l and. 

The  writer  appends  herewith  a  translation  of  a  portion  of  a  Dutch 
manuscript,  now  in  the  Royal  Library  at  the  Hague,  which  was  writ- 
ten by  another  author  during  the  year  1641,  or  nearly  forty  years  prior 
to  the  one  which  has  just  been  given  : 

"Journal  of  New  Netherland. 

[TRANSLATION.] 

'•  New  Netherland  (so  called  because  it  was  peopled  by  free  Neth- 
erlanders)  is  a  province  in  the  most  northern  part  of  America,  lying  be- 
tween New  England,  which  bounds  it  on  the  northeast,  and  Virginia, 
lying  on  the  southwest.  The  ocean  is  confined  along  its  whole-  length 
by  a  clean  sandy  coast,  very  similar  to  that  of  Flanders,  or  Holland,, 
having,  except  the  rivers,  few  bays  or  harbors  for  ships.  The  air  is  tem- 
perate, inclining  to  dryness,  healthy,  little  subject  to  sickness.  . 
The  character  of  the  country  is  very  much  like  that  of  France  ;  the 
land  is  reasonably  hilly  and  level,     .     .     . 

"  There  are  three  principal  rivers,  to  wit :  the  Fresh,'  the  Mauritus' 
and  the  South, ^  all  three  reasonably  wide  and  deep,  adapted  for  the  nav- 
igation of  large  ships  seventy-five  miles  up  and  of  common  barks  near 
to  the  falls.  From  the  river  Mauritus  off  to  beyond  the  Fresh  River 
stretches  a  canal  that  forms  an  island  forty  miles  long,  called  Long 
Island,  which  is  the  ordinary  passage  from  New  England  to  Virginia, 
having  on  both  sides  many  harbors  to  anchor  in,  so  that  people  make 
no  difficulty  about  navigating  it  in  winter. 

"The  country  is  generally  covered  with  trees,  except  a  few  valleys 
and  some  large  flats  of  seven  or  eight  miles  or  less.  The  trees  are  as 
in  Europe,  viz. :    oak,  hickory  and  chestnut. 

"  The  animals  are  also  of  same  species  as  ours,  except  lions  and 
some  other  strange  beasts.  Many  bears  ;  abundance  of  wolves,  which 
harm  nobody  but  the  small  cattle  ;  elks  and  deer  in  abundance  ;  foxes, 
otters,  beavers,  minx,  and  such  like.  The  birds  which  are  natural  to 
the  country  are  turkeys  like  ours,  swans,  geese  of  three  sorts,  ducks, 
teals,  cranes,  herons,  bitterns,  and  two  sorts  of  health  fowl,  or  pheas- 
ants. The  river  fish  is  like  that  of  Europe,  viz.  :  carp,  sturgeon,  sal- 
mon, pike,  perch,  roach,  eel,  etc.  In  the  salt  waters  are  found  codfish, 
shellfish,  herring,  etc.,  and  an  abundance  of  oysters  and  muscles. 

"  The  Indians  are  of  ordinary  stature,  strong  and  broad-shouldered, 
olive  color,  light  and  nimble  of  foot ;  subtle  in  disposition  ;  of  few  words, 
which  they  previously  well  consider ;  hypocritical,  treacherous,  vindic- 
tive, brave  and  obstinate  in  self-defense,  in  time  of  need  right  resolute 
to  die.     They  seem  to  despise  all  the  torments  that  can  be  inflicted  on 

»  Connecticut.      2  Hudson.      3  Delaware. 


Primitive    New    Nether^land.  16. 

them  without  once  uttcrinj;'  a  sis^h,  go  almost  naked,  except  a  lap  which 
hangs  from  their  waist  and  on  the  shoulders  a  de(;r-skin  or  mantle,  a 
fathom  square,  of  woven  turkey  feathers  or  peltries  tied  or  sewed  to- 
gether. They  make  use  now  of  duffel's  cloths,  blue  and  red,  in 
consequence  of  the  frequent  visits  of  the  Christians.  Except  their 
chiefs,  they  have  but  one  wife,  whom  they  change  according  to 
caprice.  She  must  do  all  the  work,  as  well  as  corn-planting  and  wood- 
cutting, and  whatever  else  is  to  be  done.  They  are  divided  into  differ- 
ent nations  and  speak  different  tongues.  They  dwell  together  in  tribes 
over  which  commands  a  chief,  called  '  Sackema,'  but  possessing  not 
much  authority,  except  in  their  dances  and  other  ceremonies.  They 
have  hardly  any  knowledge  of  God,  no  divine  worship,  no  law,  no 
justice  ;  the  strongest  does  what  he  pleases,  and  the  youths  are  master. 
Their  weapons  are  the  bow  and  arrow,  in  the  use  of  which  they  are 
wonderful  adepts.  They  live  by  hunting  and  fishing,  in  addition  to- 
maize,  which  the  women  plant." 

Another  account  of  the  habits  of  the  people  of  New  Amsterdam, 
with  a  description  of  the  country  surrounding  it,  was  written  by  the 
Rev.  Isaac  Bogues,  a  French  Jesuit  and  the  first  Catholic  missionary  to 
New  York,  who  was  murdered  by  the  Indians  in  1643  ;  it  does  not 
differ  materially  from  the  others.     He  wrote  as  follows : 

"  No  religion  is  publicly  exercised  here  but  the  Calvanist,  and 
orders  are  to  admit  no  other ;  but  this  is  not  observed,  as  there  are 
English  Puritans,  Lutherans,  Anabaptists  and  others.  The  fort  which 
is  at  the  point  of  the  Island,  is  called  Fort  Amsterdam.  It  has  four 
regular  bastions  mounted  with  several  pieces  of  artillery.  The  bastions 
were  mostly  made  of  earth,  but  they  are  now  beginning  to  face  them 
with  stone.  Within  this  fort  stands  a  pretty  large  church,  built  of 
stone  ;  the  house  of  the  Governor  (whom  they  call  the  Director-Gen- 
eral), quite  neatly  built  of  brick  ;  also  the  storehouses  and  barracks. 
The  fort  was  first  begun  in  161 5.  The  country  is  bounded  on  the  New 
England  side  by  a  river  they  call  the  Fresche  River  [Connecticut], 
which  serves  as  a  boundary  between  them  and  the  English.  The  En- 
glish, however,  come  very  near  to  them,  preferring  to  hold  land  under 
the  Dutch,  who  ask  nothing  from  them  ;  preferring  this  to  holding  land 
under  English  lords,  who  exact  large  rents.  It  is  about  fifty  years 
since  the  Hollanders  came  to  these  parts  and  a  considerable  trade  has 
sprung  up  between  them  through  the  West  India  Colony.  When  any 
one  comes  here  to  settle,  they  lend  him  horses,  cows,  etc.,  and  give  him 
provisions,  expecting  him  to  pay  into  the  West  India  Company,  after 
ten  years,  one-tenth  of  all  the  produce  which  he  reaps." 


16 


Primitive    New    Nether^land, 


From  "  Wassenaer's  Historic  Van  Europa,"  published  at  Amster- 
dam in  1632,  I  extract  the  following: 

"The  country  called  New  Netherland  is  usually  reached  in  seven  or 
eight  weeks  from  here.  The  course  lies  toward  the  Canary  Islands, 
thence  to  the  Indian  Islands ;  then  toward  the  main  land  of  Virginia, 
steering  right  across,  leaving  in  fourteen  days  the  Bahamas  on  the  left 
and  the  Bermudas  on  the  right,  where  the  winds  are  variable  with 
which  the  land  is  made. 

"  Respecting  religion,  we  cannot  learn  that  they  have  any  knowl- 
edge of  God,  but  there  is  something  similar  in  repute  among  them. 
What  they  have  is  set  over  them  by  the  'cabal'  from  ancestor  to  an- 
cestor. They  say  that  mention  was  made  by  their  forefathers,  for  many 
thousand  moons,  of  good  and  evil  spirits,  to  whose  honor  it  is  supposed 
they  burn  fires  or  sacrifices.  They  wish  to  stand  well  with  the  good 
spirits.  They  like  exhortations  among  them.  The  ministry  of  their 
spiritual  affairs  is  attended  to  by  one  they  call  '  Kitzinacka,'  which  means 
priest.  When  any  one  is  sick  among  them  he  visits  him,  sits  by  him,- 
and  roars,  bawls  or  cries  like  one  possessed.  The  priest  has  no  house 
of  his  own,  but  lodges  where  he  pleases  ;  is  not  permitted  to  marry  or 
eat  food  prepared  by  a  married  woman.  When  a  child  arrives  at  the 
age  of  twelve  they  decide  whether  he  is  to  be  a  priest  or  not.  If  so, 
he  commences  to  officiate  when  he  becomes  of  age.  All  the  natives 
pay  particular  attention  to  the  sun,  moon  and  stars.  The  first  moon, 
following  that  at  the  end  of  February,  is  greatly  honored  by  them. 
They  follow  it  with  great  devotion  as  it  rises,  and  they  compliment  it 
with  a  festival.  This  is  the  beginning  of  their  year,  it  being  the  har- 
binger of  their  spring,  and  the  women  begin  to  prepare  the  seed  for 
planting  a  little  later.  They  also  celebrate  the  August  moon  by  another 
festival,  it  being  their  harvest  moon.  The  women  are  the  most  con- 
summate star-gazers  ;  there  is  scarcely  one  of  them  but  can  name  all  the 
stars  and  the  time  of  their  appearance,  the  position  of  the  Arctos,  that 
is,  the  wagon,  which  is  as  well  known  to  them  as  to  us.  But  Him  who 
dwells  above  they  know  not,  affording  us  Christians  an  argument  to 
thank  Him  who  hath  so  beneficently  favored  us.     .     .     . 

*'  What  is  very  strange,  is  that  among  these  almost  barbarous  peo- 
ple there  are  few  or  none  who  are  blind,  cross  eyed,  lame,  crippled, 
hunchbacked  or  otherwise  deformed  ;  all  are  strong  of  constitution, 
well  proportioned  and  without  physical  blemish.  Their  numerals  run 
no  higher  than  ours.  When  they  ask  for  twenty  they  elevate  ten 
fingers,  then  point  to  ten  toes.     Their  numerals  are  as  follows : 

I 

Ilouslat, 


2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Zegeni, 

Hasse, 

Kageri, 

Misk, 

J.ajack, 

Sotach, 

Seattage, 

Tiochte, 

Ojeri, 

Primitive    New    Nethe f^l and.  17 

"  Their  months,  beginning  with  February,  are  Cuerano,  Weer-hems- 
ka,  Hermskau,  Aneratacka,  Oneratack,  Hagasert,  Jakonvaratta,  Hatter- 
henagot,  Genhendasta,  Digojenjattha,  Of  January  and  December 
they  take  no  note. 

"  As  regards  the  prosperity  of  New  Netherkmd,  we  learn  by  arrival 
of  the  ship,  whereof  Jan  May  of  Hoorn  was  skipper,  that  everything 
there  was  in  good  condition.  The  colony  began  to  advance  bravely, 
and  continues  in  friendship  with  the  natives.  The  fur  or  otter  trade 
remains  in  the  West  India  Company.  The  cargo  consists  of  five  hund- 
red otter  skins,  fifteen  hundred  beavers  and  a  few  other  things  which 
were  in  four  parcels,  and  sold  for  28,700  guilders,  on  the  20th  of  De- 
cember,  1624, 

"  This  country,  or  the  river  Montague,  called  by  ours  Mauritius, 
was  first  sailed  to  by  Hendrick  Christiaensen  Van  Cleef.  When  he 
went  on  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies,  he  happened  near  there.  Hud- 
son, the  famous  English  pilot,  had  been  there  also  to  reach  the  South 
Sea,  but  found  no  passage  (as  men  will  read  in  the  Netherland's  his- 
tory), in  the  year  161 2. 

"The  colony  at  Manhates  was  planted  in  1625,  w^hen  a  new  fort 
was  staked  out  by  Master  Keyn  Frederyche,  an  engineer.  It  will  be 
of  large  dimensions.  The  counting-house  there  is  kept  in  a  stone 
building  thatched  with  reed  ;  the  other  houses  are  of  the  bark  of  trees. 
Each  has  his  own  house.  The  Director  and  Koopman  live  together, 
or  adjoining,  and  there  are  thirty  ordinary  houses  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  which  runs  nearly  north  and  south.  The  Hon^'<^  Pieter  Min- 
uit  is  Director  there  at  present ;  Jan  Sempo,  Schout  [Sheriff] ;  Sebastian 
Jansy  Crol  and  Jan  Huyck,  Comforters  of  the  Sick,  who,  whilst  awaiting 
a  clergyman,  read  to  the  commonalty  there  on  Sundays  from  texts  o  f 
Scripture  with  the  comment.  Francois  Molemaecker  is  busy  building 
a  horse-mill,  over  which  shall  be  constructed  a  spacious  room,  sufficient 
to  accommodate  a  larger  congregation  ;  and  then  a  tow^er  is  to  be 
erected,  where  the  bells,  brought  from  Porto  Rico,  will  be  hung.  .  .  . 
When  the  fort  staked  out  at  Manhates  will  be  completed  it  is  to  be 
called  Amsterdam. 

•'The  Brownists,  who  live  above  New  Netherlands,  are  called 
Puritans,  because  they  seek  after  purity  in  the  orthodox  religion, 
and  removed  thither  with  the  consent  of  the  King.  They  wished 
not  to  live  in  England,  desiring  not  wealth,  but  merely  necessaries  and 
frugality.  .  .  .  The  population  of  New  Amsterdam,  in  1626,  con- 
sisted of  two  hundred  and  seventy  souls,  including  men,  women  and 
children.  They  have  remained  as  yet  without  the  fort,  the  natives 
being  thus  far  quite  peaceable." 


18 


Primitive    NE^A/■    N  ethei\_land. 


Another  account  is  from  the  pen  of  Baudaritius,  from  which  a  brief 
extract  is  translated,  thus  : 

"  We  were  much  gratified  on  arriving  in  this  wonderful  country. 
Here  we  found  beautiful  rivers,  bubbling  fountains  flowing  down  into 
the  valleys,  basins  of  running  waters  in  the  flat  lands,  agreeable  fruits 
in  the  woods,  such  as  strawberries,  pigeonberries,  walnuts,  and  also 
voor  labrusten,  or  wild  grapes.  The  woods  abound  with  acorns,  for 
feeding  hogs,  and  with  venison.  There  are  considerable  fish  in  the 
rivers,  good  tillage  land ;  here  is  also  good  coming  and  going,  without 
fear  of  the  naked  natives  of  the  country.  Had  we  cows,  hogs  and 
other  cattle  fit  for  food  (which  we  daily  expect  in  the  first  ships),  we 
would  not  wish  to  return  to  Holland,  for  whatever  we  desire  in  the 
paradise  of  Holland  is  here  to  be  found.  If  you  will  come  hither  with 
your  family,  you  will  not  regret  it." 

Baudaritius,  the  author  of  the  above,  was  Minister  at  Zutphen  for  a 
period  of  thirty-six  years.  He  was  a  native  of  Flanders,  and  having  a 
reputation  as  a  Hebrew  scholar  was  selected  at  the  Synod  of  Dort  as 
one  of  the  translators  of  the  Old  Testament.  He  died  at  Zutphen  at 
the  age  of  sixty-six. 

Much  has  been  written  concerning  the  traditional  "Blue  Laws"  of 
Connecticut.  Much  more  odium  has  been  cast  upon  the  State  of  Mas- 
sachusetts by  writers  and  orators,  because  of  the  supposed  origin 
there  of  the  superstitions,  sorceries  and  witchcraft  that  prevailed,  about 
the  year  1700,  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem,  where  such  alleged  practices 
were  frequently  prosecuted  and  the  legally-prescribed  penalties  en- 
forced. Evidence  that  the  beam  had  been  in  our  own  eye  for  thirty 
years  previously  is  presented  by  the  following  verbatim  transcript  from 
files  of  the  most  ancient  court  of  record  in  this  city : 

[Court  of  Assize  Book.] 

TRIAL    FOR    WITCHCRAFT. 

j  At  y^  Court  of  Assizes  held  in  New  Yorke 
I  }■=  2'^  day  of  October  1665 
The  Tryall  of  Ralph  Hall  &  Mary  his  Wife 

upon  Suspicion  of  Witchcraft. 
Y^  Names  of  y=  persons  who  served  on  the  Grand   jury 
Thomas  Baker  fforeman  of  y=  Jury  of  East  Hampton 
Cap'  John  Symonds  of  Hempsteed 
M--  Hallet  ) 

Anthony  Waters  j    •^' 
Thomas  Wandall  of  Marshpath  Kills 
M"-  Nicolls  of  Stamford 


of    Nfw   Yorkc 


■Primitive    J^Iew    Nethe  r^l  and.  19 

Balthaz.er  do   Hart 

lolm   (larlaiul 

[arnh    Ix'islcr 

Anlhoiiio  dc  Mill 

Alexander  Munro 

Thomas  Searle 

The  Prisoners  being  brought  to  the  l^arr  liy  Ailard  Antlioiiy,  ShcrifTe  ol  New  Yorke 
— This  following  iniiiclmont  was  read  first  against  Raljih  Hall  (*c  then  ag"'  Mary  liis  Wife 
viz' 

The  Ginslablc  i*v:  Overseers  of  the  Townc  of  SeatallcoU  in  the  ]'".asl  Riding  of  York- 
shire upon  Long  Island,  Do  Present  for  our  Sovcraignc  Lord  the  King,  That  Ralpli 
PL\11  of  Scatallcott  aforesaid,  ujion  y=  2^^^  day  of  December;  being  Christmas  day  last 
was  Twelve  I\b>nlhcs,  in  y"  i5"'>  yeare  of  the  Raigne  of  our  Sovereign  Lord,  Charles 
y-"  Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  King  of  England  Scotland  fTrance  &  Ireland  Defender 
of  the  ffaith  &c  &  severall  other  days  ct  times  since  that  day  by  some  detestable  it  wicked 
Arts  commonly  called  Witchcraft  &  Sorcery  did  (as  is  suspected)  maliciously  &  feloniously, 
practice  &  Exercise  at  the  said  towne  of  Seatallcott  in  the  East  Riding  of  Yorkshire  on 
Long  Island  aforesaid  on  the  person  of  George  Wood  late  of  the  same  place  by  w'"='' 
wicked  &  detestable  Arts  the  said  George  Wood  (as  is  suspected)  most  dangerously  and 
mortally  sickned  and  languished,  And  not  long  after  &  by  the  aforesaid  wicked  &  detest- 
able Arts,  the  said  George  Wood  (as  is  suspected)  dyed.  Moreover  the  said  Constable  & 
Overseers  of  the  said  towne  as  aforesaid  do  further  present  that  the  said  Ralph  Hall 
did  (as  is  suspected)  divers  times  by  y«  like  wicked  &  detestable  arts  commonly  called 
Witchcraft  &  Sorcery  maliciously  &  feloniously  practice  &  Exercise  on  the  person  of  an 
Infant  Childe  of  Ann  Rodgcrs  Widow  of  y<=  aforesaid  George  Wood  deceased  by  said 
wicked  &  detestable  arts  the  said  Inflmt  Childe  (as  is  suspected)  most  mortally  sickned 
&  languished  &  not  long  after  by  said  wicked  &  detestable  arts  dyed,  all  against  y"=  peace 
of  Our  Soveraigne  Lord  y^  king  &  against  the  Laws  of  this  Government  in  such  cases 
Provided. 

A  similar  indictment  was  then  made  against  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Ralph  Hall: 

Then  the  Gierke  calling  upon  Ralph  Hall  had  him  hold  up  his  hand,  and  read  as 
follows 

Ralph  Hall  thou  standest  here  indicted  for  that  not  having  y«  feare  of  God  before 
thine  eyes  :  thou  didst  upon  the  25'*'  day  ot  December  being  Christmas  day  last  was  12 
monthes  &  at  sev'al  other  times  since  as  is  suspected  by  some  wicked  &  detestable  arts 
commonly  called  Witchcraft  &  Sorcery  Maliciously  &  feloniously  practice  &  Exercise 
upon  the  Bodyes  of  George  Wood  &  an  infant  Child  (as  is  suspected)  most  dangerously 
&  mortally  fell  sick  &  languished  unto  death  :  Ralph  Hall  what  dost  thou  say  for  thy- 
selfe,   art  thou  guilty  or  not  guilty .' 

INIary  his  wife  was  then  called  in  like  manner  &  both  pleaded  not  guilty  Whereupon 
y«  ease  was  referred  to  y«  jury  who  brought  into  Court  the  following  Yerdict —  "Wee 
having  seriously  considered  the  cases  committed  to  our  Charge  against  y=  prisoners  & 
having  weighed  well  all  y«  Evidence  wee  find  that  there  are  some  suspitions  of  what  the 
Woman  is  charged  with  but  nothing  considerable  of  Yalue  to  take  away  her  life.  But  in 
refference  to  the  ]\Ian  we  find  nothing  considerable  to  charge  him  with. " 

The  Court  then  sentenced  them  to  be  bounde  Body  &  Goods  for  their  Appearance  at 
the  next  Sessions  &  from  Sessions  to  Sessions  as  long  as  they  stay  in  this  Government  in 
the  meanwhile  to  bee  of  good  behaviour  &  so  they  were  released.  R.    Nicolls. 


20  Primitive    New    Nethe i^l and. 

Another  case  is  as  follows  : 

[Coiiri  of  Assize  Book.'\ 

AN    ORDER    FOR    KATHERINE    HARRISON    TO    REMOVE    FROM 

WESTCHESTER. 

Whereas  Complaint  hath  beene  made  unto  me  by  y^  inhabitants  of  Westchester 
ag'  Katherine  Harrison  late  of  Wethersfield  in  his  Ma''"  Colony  of  Connecticott,  Widdow. 
That  contrary  to  the  consent  &  good  liking  of  y*  towne  she  would  settle  amongst  them 
&  she  being  reputed  to  be  a  person  lyeing  under  y^  supposicon  of  Witchcraft  hath  given 
some  cause  of  apprehension  to  ye  inhabitants  there  To  y^  end  their  Jealousyes  &  feares 
as  to  this  perticuler  may  be  removed  I  have  thought  fitt  y«  said  Katherine  Harrison 
to  remove  out  of  their  p''cincts  in  some  short  tyme  after  notice  given  &  they  are  likewise 
to  admonish  her  to  retorne  to  y=  place  of  her  former  abode  that  they  nor  their  neighbours- 
may  receive  no  further  disturbance  by  her,  Given  und''  my  hand  at  ffort  James  in  New 
Yorke  this  7'''  day  of  July  1670  R.   Nicolls. 

And  yet,  "  Kate,"  "not  having  y^  feare  of  God  before  her  eyes,'" 
and  being  insensible  of,  or  indifferent  to,  the  terms  of  the  law  and  the 
order  of  the  Governor,  did  not  go.  Another  complaint  was  then  filed, 
not  only  against  her,  but  one  "Capt"  Richard  Panton  at  whose  house 
she  resydeth,  that  they  both  appear  to  answer  unto  said  complaints." 
There  is  no  record  of  their  answering  ;  finally  the  constable  of  West- 
chester was  ordered  to  make  an  inventory  of  her  personal  effects  and 
return  an  account  of  them  to  the  Governor,  which  he  did,  and  the  fol- 
lowing order  was  issued  : 

Whereas  severall  Addresses  have  beene  made  unto  me  by  some  of  y«  Inhabitants  of 
Westchester  on  behalf  of  y^  rest,  desiring  that  Katherine  Harrison  late  of  Wethersfield  in 
his  Mat'^^  colony  of  Connecticott  Widdow  at  p''sent  residing  in  their  Towne  may  be  or- 
dered to  remove  thereform  upon  apprehension  they  have  of  her,  grounded  upon  some 
troubles  she  hath  layne  under  at  Wethersfield  upon  suspition  of  Witchcraft  the  reasons 
whereof  do  not  so  clearly  appeare  unto  mee  Yett  notwi^standing  to  give  as  much  satisfac- 
tion as  may  be  to  y=  Comp''^*  who  p''tend  their  feares  to  be  of  a  publique  Concerne,  I  have 
not  thought  fitt  absolutely  to  determyne  y=  matf  at  p''sent  but  do  suspend  it  untill  y«  next 
Gen''"  Co"''  of  Assizes  when  there  will  be  a  full  meeting  of  y=  Councell  &  Justices  of 
ye  peace  to  debate  &  conclude  y*  same.  In  y=  meantime  y^  said  Katherine  Harrison 
w'*^  her  children  may  remaine  in  the  Towne  of  Westchester  where  she  now  is  without  dis- 
turbance or  molestation  she  having  given  sufficient  security  for  her  Civill  carriage  &  good 
behaviour.  Given  under  my  hand  at  ffort  James  in  New  Yorke  this  25''"  day  of  August 
in  y=  22  ^  yeare  of  his  Ma""  Ragne  Annoq  Domnie  1670. 

Katherine  next  appears  of  record  in  the  General  Court  of  Assizes, 
held  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  October,  1670,  and  the  evidence  all  be- 
ing submitted  the  following  order  was  made  : 

Katherine  Harrison,  Widdow,  bound  over  to  appeare  upon  y*  complaint  of  y*  Inhab- 
itants of  Westchester  upon  suspicon  of  Witchcraft  &  who  was  bound  over  to  good  be- 


Primitive    New    Net  he  Poland 


21 


havitir  unlil  \''  holdiii,!;  of  tliis  Cmnt,  It  is  ordiTinl  ilial  in  rc^anl  ilurc  is  nolliiiig  ajipcars 
aj^ainst  li  r  drsLTvin^'  tlic  cciulinuaim-  d"  that  uhiigacon  she  is  lo  1)0  icioasl  from  il  it 
liath  Liberty  to  ivinaiiu-  in  the  U<\\ni:  of  Westchester  where  shec  now  resides  or  anywlierc 
else  in  the  fj^overnni'  dnrini;  iur  ]ileasnre. 

\\'(;  ai'c  wont  t(~)  rail  at  superstitions,  and  to  lanicmt  that 

"  Lo,  the  jxior  Inchan  ! 

Sees  God  in  the  clouds  or  iiears  him  in  the  wind,"  etc., 

forgretting",  possibly,  at  the  moment,  that  "  Lo  "  was  not  the  exception- 
ally-beniohted  individual  of  those  days,  for  the  preceding  pages  disclose 
that  the  vagaries  of  the  red  man  and  pagan  did  not  differ  widely  in 
kind  or  degree  from  the  hallucinations  of  the  white  man  and  Christian 
of  the  same  period,  which,  as  ages  are  reckoned,  was  not  so  many 
years  ago.  These  apologues  came  by  inheritance  and  multiplied  as  the 
population  increased.  They  were  the  crude  fancies  and  assumptions 
of  primitive,  illiterate  minds,  respecting  the  purposes  and  mysteries  of 
creation  ;  they  were  dogmas  of  the  self-constituted  oracles  of  the  Mishna 
and  Gemara ;  they  were  the  barbarisms  of  the  Solii  of  Attica,  and  the 
votaries  of  Buddha,  the  mythologues  of  Greece,  the  traditions  of  Rome; 
thence  onward  by  successive  descent  to  the  dog  and  moon  worship  of 
the  aborigines,  intermingled  with  the  sorceries  and  witchcraft  practices 
of  our  g"ood  old  English  and  Dutch  ancestors.  One  might  be  stigmatized 
as  heterodox  and  presumptuous,  who  would  suggest  or  advocate  the 
propriety  of  abandoning  any  of  these  shadowy  and  senseless  customs, 
which  still  cling  to  us  for  causes  that  are  utterly  inexplicable,  and  which 
are  being  extended  and  extravagated  by  modern  pedantry  upon  para- 
doxical pretexts,  such  as  that,  being  mystical  and  traditional,  they 
are  necessarily  inseparable  from  our  emotional  or  religious  natures 
and  aspirations.  Neither  divine  injunctions  to  '"keep"  ourselves 
"from  idols,"  to  abstain  from  making  "graven  images,"  from  worship- 
ing doubtful  symbols,  or  paying  "heed  to  old  wives'  fables,"  on  the 
one  hand  ;  nor  practical  deductions  from  the  light  of  science,  the  laws  of 
progress,  or  the  age  of  reason,  upon  the  other;  will  fully  suffice  to  sepa- 
rate or  eliminate  the  preternatural  from  the  supernatural  in  our  creeds 
or  theories  of  social  ethics. 

The  popular  legend  of  Santa  Glaus  was  one  of  the  most  firmly  rooted 
and  deeply  cherished  of  Dutch  institutions,  and  one  which  we  deem  it 
seemly  to  perpetuate  or  celebrate,  as  regularly  as  the  years  come  and 
go,  with  an  extravagance,  a  recklessness  and  vim  that  would  dumfound 
the  ancient  Knickerbockers  or  make  a  modern  "  Anti-Poverty  Society" 
weep  from   envy.      Thus,  also,  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 


22 


Primitive    New    Nethe  r^l  and. 


which  are  annually  squandered  for  the  Mardi  Gras  carousals  and  kin- 
dred tomfooleries  would  found  and  maintain  many  institutions  of  charity 
and  benevolence  that  would  remain  creditable  and  endurinof  monu- 
ments  of  our  philanthropy,  humanity,  virtue  and  intelligence.  "'Tis 
true,  'tis  pity,"  that  these  "twin  relics,"  and  twin  frolics  of  antiquity, 
should  be  so  inextricably  associated  or  identified  with  the  remem- 
brances and  observances  of  two  of  the  most  momentous  events  of  our 
religious  history ;  and  that  we  continue  to  confound  with  the  precepts 
of  the  new  dispensation  of  Truth,  Peace  and  Good  Will,  the  errors  and 
hobgoblins  of  witchcraft,  frivolity  and  superstition — -which  absurdities 
we  impress,  as  verities,  upon  credulous  infancy  and  childhood, 

A  little  girl  whose  mother  had  revealed  to  her,  at  the  age  of  six 
years,  the  fact  that  Santa  Glaus  was  a  myth  or  deception,  exclaimed 
in  surprise  :  "What,  then,  am  I  to  believe?  Is  the  story  of  the  Christ, 
which  you  told  me  at  the  same  time,  and  which  I  have  believed  all 
these  years,  a  myth  and  a  deception  also  ?" 

Thus  do  we  honor  the  customs  of  our  ancestors.  So,  doubtless,  we 
shall  continue  to  perpetuate  them,  and  perhaps  originate  other  devices, 
as  aimless  and  irrational,  as  unjustifiable,  and  reprehensible  as  any  of 
which  human  infirmity,  at  any  previous  period,  seems  to  have  been 
capable  or  culpable. 


HENRY    HUDSON. 


CONTRACT 


OF    THE 

Directors  of  the  East  India  Company  of  the  Chamber  of  Amsterdam 

WITH  Henry  Hudson  — 1609. 


~=r*- 


"  On  this  eighth  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  nine,  the  Directors  of  the  East  India  Company  of  the 
Chamber  of  Amsterdam  of  the  ten  years  reckoning,  of  the  one  part, 
and  Mr.  Henry  Hudson,  Englishman,  assisted  by  Jocodus  Hondius,  of 
the  other  part,  have  agreed  in  manner  following,  to  wit :  That  the  said 
Directors  shall,  in  the  first  place,  equip  a  small  vessel  or  yacht  of  about 
thirty  lasts  [sixty  tons]  burden,  with  which,  well  provided  with  men,  pro- 
visions and  other  necessaries,  the  above-named  Hudson  shall,  about  the 
first  of  April,  sail,  in  order  to  search  for  a  passage  by  the  north,  around  by 
the  north  side  of  Nova  Zembla,  and  shall  continue  thus  along  that  parallel 
until  he  shall  be  able  to  sail  southward  to  the  latitude  of  sixty  degrees. 
He  shall  obtain  as  much  knowledge  of  the  lands  as  can  be  done  with- 

23 


24 


Contract    with    Wenry    Hudson. 


out  any  considerable  loss  of  time,  and,  if  it  is  possible,  return  imme- 
diately, in  order  to  make  a  faithful  report  and  relation  of  his  voyage  to 
the  Directors,  and  to  deliver  over  his  journals,  log-books  and  charts, 
together  with  an  account  of  whatsoever  which  shall  happen  to  him 
during  the  voyage  without  keeping  anything  back  ;  for  which  said 
voyage  the  Directors  shall  pay  to  the  said  Hudson,  as  well  for  his  out- 
fit for  the  said  voyage,  as  for  the  support  of  his  wife  and  children,  the 
sum  of  eight  hundred  guilders  [three  hundred  and  twenty  dollars],  and 
in  case  (which  God  prevent)  he  does  not  come  back  or  arrive  hereabouts 
within  a  year,  the  Directors  shall  further  pay  to  his  wife  two  hundred 
guilders  in  cash  ;  and  thereupon  they  shall  not  be  further  liable  to  him 
or  his  heirs,  unless  he  shall  either  afterwards  or  within  the  year  arrive 
and  have  found  a  passage  good  and  suitable  for  the  Company  to  use  ; 
in  which  case  the  Directors  will  reward  the  before-named  Hudson  for 
his  dangers,  trouble  and  knowledge,  in  their  discretion,  with  which  the 
before-mentioned  Hudson  is  content.  And  in  case  the  Directors  think 
proper  to  prosecute  and  continue  the  same  voyage,  it  is  stipulated  and 
ag'reed  with  the  before-mentioned  Hudson  that  he  shall  make  his  resi- 
dence  in  this  Company,  and  this  at  the  discretion  of  the  Directors, 
who  also  promise  to  make  him  satisfied  and  content  for  such  further 
service  in  all  justice  and  equity.  All  without  fraud  or  evil  intent.  In 
witness  of  the  truth,  two  contracts  are  made  hereof,  of  the  same  tenor 
and  are  subscribed  by  both  parties,  and  also  by  Jocodus  Hondius  as 
interpreter  and  witness. 

"  Dated  as  above  and  signed  by 

"Dick  Van  Os. 

"J.     POPPE. 

"Jocodus  Hondius.  Henry  Hudson." 


CriA^P»Tp:K  II. 

o — n — o 


*   JgPin^ifiv'c  •  JJcW  •/iir)sfcrclarr)j* 


FROM   1624   TO    1674. 
• ^-^i;^ • 


v-# 


H  E  first  regularly-appointed  Governor  of  New  Amsterdam,  or 
the  Island  of  Manhattan,  was  Peter  Minuit,  in  the  year  1624, 
who  served  until  163 1.  The  second  was  Wouter  Van  Twiller, 
appointed  in  1633  and  continued  in  office  till  1637,  The  third  was 
William  Kieft,  from  1638  to  1646.  The  fourth  and  last  of  the  first 
series  of  Dutch  Governors  Avas  Petrus  Stuyvesant,  appointed  in  1647 
and  who  surrendered  to  the  English  forces  in  1664,  when  an  English- 
man, Richard  Nichols,  was  selected,  and  served  till  1668.  Nichols 
was  succeeded  by  an  English  officer,  Colonel  Francis  Lovelace,  who 
held  the  post  and  exercised  authority  until  1673,  when  the  city  was 
recaptured  by  Dutch  strategy,  without  bloodshed,  and  named  New 
Orange.  Captain  Anthony  Colve,  of  the  land  forces,  was  appointed 
Governor,  continuing  until  November  10,  1674,  when  the  city  was  re- 
surrendered  to  the  English,  by  terms  of  a  treaty  between  England  and 
Holland,  and  named  New  York,  after  the  Duke  of  York. 

It  should  be  stated  that  prior  to  the  appointment  of  Governors, 
or  between  the  years  1609  and  1624,  the  colony  was  under  various 
provincial  resident  directors.  Among  the  first  to  arrive  here  after 
Hudson's  return  and  report  of  the  advantages  which  this  island  seemed 
to  him  to  possess  for  trading  purposes,  was  one  Hendrick  C.  \'an  Cleef, 
who,  in  16 1 3,  was  acting  as  Director  of  the  Settlement.  In  this  year 
an  English  ship,  from  the  Virginian  coast,  entered  the  harbor  on  a  visit 
of  observation  and  discovery.  The  Captain  summoned  Corstiaensen 
and  insisted  upon  his  acknowledging  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia,  and 
the  Crown,  or  vacating  the  island.  A  truce  was  arranged,  by  which  the 
former  was  to  pay  a  small  tribute,  on  the  aggregate  value  of  the  com- 
merce, to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  the  Dutch  were  left  in  quiet 
possession.     The  Home  Government  in    Holland,   however,   did    not 

25 


26 


Primitive    |^ew    ^^lMste r^d a m . 


acknowledge  the  prior  claims  of  the  English,  and  encouraged  emigra- 
tion hither  of  larger  numbers  of  its  people.  It  was  soon  deemed  neces- 
sary to  construct  a  rude  fort  of  substantial  material  at  the  place  called 
"the  Battery"  and  to  make  other  preparations  for  defence. 

Meanwhile,  a  more  extensive  association  of  merchants  and  capitalists 
in  Holland  had  perfected  plans  and  obtained  a  charter  from  their  Home 
Government,  granting  them  the  exclusive  right  to  trade  upon  the  Avhole 
American  coast,  to  appoint  Governors,  make  treaties  with  the  Indians, 
and  establish  laws  for  their  own  protection,  etc.  This  company  was 
invested  with  nearly  all  the  powers  and  privileges  of  a  separate,  distinct 
government,  and  called  itself  the  '*  West  India  Company."  The  Com- 
pany invested  in  several  large  vessels  and  dispatched  them  hither  with 
families,  building  materials,  horses,  cows,  sheep,  pigs,  etc.  ;  returning 
with  corn,  purchased  of  the  Indians,  also  beaver  and  otter  skins  in  large 
quantities.  Business  prospered,  emigration  increased,  and  houses,  with 
thatched  roofs,  were  erected  on  the  lower  part  of  the  island,  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  Battery.  Commercial  interests  soon  became 
so  extensive  that,  in  1626,  Governor  Minuit,  who  had  been  officiating 
during  the  two  preceding  years,  deemed  it  advisable  to  obtain  some 
legal  possession  of,  or  title  to,  the  island,  and  finally  negotiated  with 
the  Indians  (the  Manhattans)  for  its  purchase  for  sixty  guilders,  or 
about  twenty-four  dollars.  By  this  act  the  entire  island,  containing 
nearly  twenty-thousand  acres,  became  the  property  of  the  West  India 
Company,  then  one  of  the  wealthiest  trading  organizations  in  existence. 
Governor  Minuit  reported  the  purchase  immediately  to  the  Company, 
congratulating  them  upon  their  prospective  good  fortunes,  and  indulging 
in  extravagant  anticipations  of  the  exclusive  commercial  advantages 
which  would  accrue  from  this  transaction. 

But  the  English  were  vigilant,  aggressive,  and  annoyed  them  in 
various  ways,  laying  prior  claims  to  the  possession  of  the  island  and 
inciting  the  Indians  to  commit  depredations  upon  the  Dutch  traders, 
who  soon  realized  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  greater  defensive  meas- 
ures for  the  protection  of  their  families  and  business.  The  fort  was 
strengthened  and  barricades  were  erected  around  some  of  the  ware- 
houses  and  residences. 

In  1628  the  Company,  under  authority  of  the  States  General, 
passed  an  act  entitled  "  Freedoms  and  Exemptions,"  granting  to  all 
persons  who  should  plant  colonies  in  New  Amsterdam,  outside  of  the 
Island  of  Manhattan,  special  privileges.  Each  colony  must  consist  of 
fifty  or  more  persons  over  fifteen  years  of  age  ;  could  select  a  tract 
of  land  eight  miles  square  upon  the  shore  of  any  river  in  the  sup- 
posed domain,  and  was  recjuired  to  bring  all  its  products  to  the  island 


Primitive    |V  e  w    yA  m  s  t  e  p^d  am.  27 

of  IManliallan  tor  sali-  and  transhipment.  The  lurthcrancc  of  this 
atlt'inpt  to  coloni/c  th(^  whok;  country  involved  new  difficulties  and  the 
settlement  of  disputed  boundaries. 

The  lMii;iish  from  the  Virginia  and  Delaware  coasts,  and  the  Puri- 
tans upon  the  New  I^ngland  shore  manifested  much  jealousy  in  con- 
seciucnce  of  the  encroachments  of  the  Dutch  settlers  upon  soil 
which  they  claimed  they  had  preempted,  or,  at  least,  were  entitled  to 
the  possession  of  by  right  of  purchase  from  the  natives.  The  English 
contended  that  they  were  the  rightful  owners,  by  reason  of  the  prior 
discovery  of  Virginia  and  the  coast,  by  Cabot,  and  denied  that  the  In- 
dians had  any  bona  fide  title  to  anything —  a  theory  which,  in  a  national 
sense,  we  seem  to  have  imbibed  and  maintained  with  selfish  persistency 
ever  since. 

Governor  Minuit  ventured  to  address  Governor  Bradford,  at  Ply- 
mouth, on  March  9,  1627,  congratulating  him  upon  the  partial  deliver- 
ance from  home  rule  and  expressing  the  desire  that  pleasant  rela- 
tions might  continue  between  them.  The  old  Puritan  responded  with 
severe  dignity,  and  intimated  that  Dutch  traders  were  not  particularly 
welcome,  nor  would  the  Dutch  colonists  receive  a  very  hospitable  re- 
ception upon  the  soil  of  New  England.  Governor  Minuit  replied  in 
justification  of  the  rights  of  his  people  to  settle  where  they  pleased 
within  the  limits  of  what  he  called  New  Netherland.  Governor  Brad- 
ford wrote  again,  asking  Minuit  to  appoint  a  commission  to  confer  with 
such  a  committee  as  he  might  designate,  with  a  view  to  settle  the  dis- 
puted questions  of  boundary  and  jurisdiction  between  them.  The  sug- 
gestions were  complied  with,  but  the  interviews  were  barren  of  satis- 
factory results  to  either  party. 

Meanwhile  the  Indians,  under  the  spur  of  the  few  English  traders 
and  speculators,  were  becoming  more  treacherous  and  troublesome,  and 
a  deep  feeling  of  resentment  was  being  nursed  by  the  Dutch  traders 
and  citizens.  Near  the  site  of  the  present  Tombs  was  a  lake  of  fresh 
water,  called  "  Fresh  Water  Pond,"  which  was  supplied  by  a  rapid 
stream  that  crossed  Broadway  at  Canal  street,  thence  coursed  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  to  the  lake.  Near  this  lake  two  Westchester 
County  Indians,  who  were  coming  to  the  city  to  dispose  of  furs,  were 
stopped  by  two  or  three  of  Governor  Minuit's  farm  hands,  and  one 
of  the  Indians  was  murdered  ;  the  other  escaped  and  reported  the 
fact  to  his  tribe,  who,  after  a  council  with  the  neicrhborincr  tribes,  swore 
vengeance  from  that  time  upon  the  white  men.  Thus  were  sown  the 
seeds  which  resulted  in  the  massacres  and  the  two  Indian  wars  that 
soon  afterward  followed. 


28  Primitive    New    ^^mste  i^d  a  m  . 

Dissatisfaction  was  expressed  by  the  Home  Government  with  Min- 
uit's  administration  of  affairs,  and  he  resigned,  returning  to  Holland 
in  1632.  An  interregnum  of  a  year  transpired  before  the  arrival  of 
his  successor,  during  which  the  government  was  administered  by  Koop- 
man  Van  Remund,  a  late  secretary  of  Governor  Minuit.  With  the 
new  Governor,  Wouter  Van  Twiller,  came  a  military  force  of  one 
hundred  Dutch  soldiers,  also  the  Rev.  Everdas  Bos^ardus  and  a  school- 
master  named  Adam  Roelandsen,  who,  historians  have  asserted,  were 
the  first  persons  officiating,  respectively,  as  clergyman  and  school- 
master in  the  colony  of  New  Amsterdam.  An  interesting  letter,  how- 
ever, was  recently  discovered  among  the  effects  of  Jacobus  Koning, 
clerk  of  the  fourth  judicial  district  of  Amsterdam,  in  Holland,  and  for- 
warded by  Hon.  Henry  C.  Murphy,  when  U.  S.  Minister  to  the  Hague, 
to  the  Xew  York  Historical  Society,  which  sheds  more  light  upon  the 
earlier  religious  condition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  colony  under  Gov- 
ernor Minuit.  The  letter  is  dated  August  11,  1628,  or  during  Minuit's 
administration,  and  purports  to  have  been  written  by  "Jonas  Michaelius, 
first  Minister  of  the  Church  of  New  Amsterdam,"  to  "Dominie  Adri- 
anus  Smontius,  Minister  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Amster- 
dam."* Dominie  Michaelius  was  a  fluent  writer,  and  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  his  lengthy  letter  are  interesting  : 

De  Vrede  Christi  : 

Honorable  Sir,    Well-beloved  Brother  in   Christ,   Kind  Friend! 

The  favorable  opportunity  which  now  presents  itself  of  writing  to  your  Right  Rever- 
end Sir,  I  cannot  let  pass  without  embracing  it  according  to  my  promise,  and  I  first 
unburden  myself  in  this  communication  of  a  sorrowful  circumstance.  It  has  pleased  the 
Lord,  seven  weeks  after  we  arrived  in  this  country,  to  take  from  me  my  good  partner, 
who  has  been  to  me  for  more  than  sixteen  years  a  virtuous,  faithful  and  in  every  respect 
amiable  yoke-fellow,  and  I  find  myself,  with  three  children,  \ery  much  discouraged,  with- 
out her  society  and  assistance.  But  what  have  I  to  say  ?  The  Lord  himself  hath  done 
this,  in  which  no  one  can  oppose  Him.  I  hope,  therefore,  to  bear  my  cross  patiently  and 
by  the  grace  and  help  of  God  not  to  let  my  courage  fail  me,  which  I  stand  in  need  of  in 
my  particular  duties. 

The  voyage  continued  long,  namely,  from  the  24th  of  January  till  the  7th  (_)f  April, 
when  we  first  set  foot  upon  land.  Of  storms  and  tempest  we  had  no  lack,  particularly 
about  the  Bermudas  and  the  rough  coast  of  this  country,  which  fell  hard  upon  the  good 
wife  and  children,  but  they  bore  it  better,  as  regards  sea-sickness  and  fear,  than  I  had 
expected.  Our  fare  in  the  ship  was  very  poor  and  scanty,  so  that  my  blessed  wife  and 
children,  not  eating  with  us  in  the  cabin,  on  account  of  the  little  room  in  it,  had  a  worse 
lot  than  the  sailors  themselves  ;  and  that  b)'  reason  of  a  wicked  cook,  who  anno}"ed  them 
in  every  way;  but  especially  by  reason  of  the  captain  himself,  who,  although  I  frequently 
complained  of  it  in  the  most  courteous  manner,  did  not  concern  himself  in  the  least 
about  the  rascal  ;  nor  did  he,  even,  when  they  were  all  sick,  give  them  anything  which 


*  This  seems  to  have  bc-en  tlie  origin  of  the  word    "Dominie,"  a  perversion,  probably,  of  tlie  Latin 
"Dominus. " 


Pp^imitiye    New    /imsterdam.  29 

couKl  (1>>  iIh'iu  anv  f^i >()(!,  allln)iii;Ii  tlicro  was  i'iiiiiii;li  in  ilu;  sliii)  ;  tlii)Uj;h  lie  liiinsclf 
knew  very  well  where  to  fiiul  il  in  order,  out  of  meal  times,  to  fill  his  own  l)clly.  All 
the  relief  which  lie  gave  us  consisted  merely  in  liberal  promises,  with  a  drunken  head, 
which  promises  nolhini^  followed  when  he  was  sober,  but  a  sour  face,  and  llius  he  played 
the  brute  against  the  oflicers,  and  kept  himself  constantly  to  the  wine,  and  especially  here 
in  the  [North]  river,  so  that  he  has  navigated  the  ship  daily  with  a  wet  sail  and  an  emj)ty 
head,  coming  ashore  seldom  to  the  Council  and  never  to  the  ])ul)lic  Divine  service.  We 
bore  all  with  silence  on  board  tlie  ship,  but  it  grieves  me  when  1  think  of  it,  on  account 
of  mv  wife  ;  the  more,  because  she  was  placed  as  she  was  —  not  knowing  her  ct)ndition, 
antl  because  the  time  was  so  short  which  she  had  yet  to  live.  In  my  first  voyage  to  Brazil 
I  travelled  much  with  him,  yea,  lodged  with  him  in  the  sime  hut,  but  never  knew  that  he 
was  such  a  brute  and  drunkard.  But  he  was  then  under  the  directit)n  of  Mr.  Lane,  and 
now  he  had  the  principal  tiirection  himself  I  have  also  written  to  Mr.  Godyu  about  it, 
considering  il  necessary  that  it  should  be  known. 

Our  coming  here  was  agreeable  to  all,  and  I  hope,  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  that  my 
services  will  not  be  unfruitful.  The  people,  for  the  most  part,  are  all  free,  somewhat 
rough  and  loose,  but  I  find  in  most  all  of  them  both  love  and  respect  toward  me — two 
things  with  which  hitherto  the  Lord  has  everywhere  graciously  blessed  my  labors,  and 
which  will  produce  us  fruit  in  our  special  calling,  as  your  Right  Reverend  yourself  well 
knows  and  finds. 

We  have  established  the  f>rm  of  a  church  [gemeente],  and,  as  Brother  Bastiaen  Crol 
very  seldom  comes  down  from  Fort  Orange,  because  the  Directorship  of  that  fort  and  the 
trade  there  is  committed  to  him,  it  has  been  thought  best  to  choose  two  elders  for  my 
assistance  and  for  the  proper  consideration  of  all  such  ecclesiastical  matters  as  might 
occur,  intending  tlie  coming  year,  if  the  Lord  permit,  to  let  one  of  them  retire,  and  to 
choose  another  in  his  place  from  a  double  number  first  lawfully  presented  by  the  congre- 
g'ation.  One  of  those  whom  we  have  now  chosen  is  the  Honorable  Director  himself,  and 
the  other  is  the  storekeeper  of  the  company,  Jan  Huyghen,  his  brother-in-law,  persons  of 
very  good  character,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  ;  having  both  been  formerly  in 
ofiice  in  the  church,  the  one  as  deacon,  and  the  other  as  elder  in  the  Dutch  and  French 
■churches,  Respectively,  at  \\'esel. 

We  have  had  at  the  first  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  full  fifty  communicants 
—  not  W'ithout  great  joy  and  comfort  for  so  many  —  Walloons  and  Dutch,  of  whom  a 
portion  made  their  first  confession  of  the  faith  before  us,  and  others  exhibited  their  chuVch 
certificates.  We  administer  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Lord  once  in  four  months,  pro- 
visionally, until  a  larger  number  of  people  shall  otherwise  require.  The  Walloons  and 
French  have  no  service  on  Sundays  otherwise  than  in  the  Dutch  language,  of  which  they 
understand  but  very  little.  A  portion  of  the  Walloons  are  going  back  to  the  fatherland, 
either  because  their  years  here  are  expired,  or  also  because  some  are  not  very  serviceable 
to  the  Company. 

As  to  the  natives  of  this  country,  I  find  them  entirely  savage  and  wild,  strangers  to  all 
decency,  yea,  uncivil  and  stupid  as  posts,  proficient  in  all  wickedness  and  godlessness  ; 
devilish  men,  who  serve  nobody  but  the  devil,  that  is,  the  spirit,  which,  in  their  language, 
they  call  "Menotto;"  under  which  title  they  comprehend  everything  that  is  subde  and 
crafty  and  beyond  human  skill  and  power.  They  have  so  much  witchcraft,  divination, 
sorcery  and  wicked  tricks,  that  they  cannot  be  held  in  by  any  bands  or  locks.  They  are 
as  thievish  and  treacherous  as  they  are  tall  ;  and  in  cruelty  they  are  more  inhuman  than 
the  people  of  Barbary,  and  far  excel  the  Africans.  I  have  written  concerning  these 
things  to  several  persons  elsewhere,  not  doubting  that  Brother  Crol  will  have  written  suf- 
ficient to  your  Right  Reverend,  or  to  the  Lords  ]\Linager3  thereof;  as  also  of  the  base 
treachery,  and  the  murders  which  the  Mohicans,  at  the  upper  part  of  this  river,  against 


30 


Primitive    New     A:mste  i^d  a  m  . 


Fort  Orange,  had  committed  ;  but  their  misfortune  is,  by  the  gracious  interposition  of 
the  Lord,  for  our  good,  who,  when  it  pleases  Him,  knows  how  to  pour,  unexpectedly, 
natural  impulses  into  these  unnatural  men,  in  order  to  hinder  their  designs.  How  these 
people  can  best  be  led  to  the  -true  knowledge  of  God  and  of  the  Mediator  Christ,  is  hard 
to  say.  I  cannot  myself  wonder  enough  who  it  is  who  has  imposed  so  much  upon  your 
Right  Reverend  and  many  others  in  the  fatherland,  concerning  the  docility  of  these 
people  and  their  good  nature,  the  proper  principia  religionU  and  vestigia  legis  nalurw, 
which  should  be  among  them  ;  in  whom  I  have  as  yet  been  able  to  discover  hardly  a 
single  good  point,  except  that  they  do  not  speak  so  jeeringly  and  so  scofJingly  of  the 
god-like  and  glorious  majesty  of  their  Creator  as  the  Africans  tlare  to  do.  But  it  is  be- 
cause they  have  no  certain  knowledge  of  Him,  or  scarcely  any.  If  we  speak  to  them  of 
God,  it  appears  to  them  like  a  dream,  and  Me  are  compelled  to  speak  of  Him,  not  under 
the  name  of  "  ^lenotto,"  whom  they  know  and  serve  —  for  that  would  be  blasphemy  — 
but  under  that  of  some  great  person,  yea,  of  the  chiefs,  "Sackiema,"  by  which  name  they 
—  living  without  a  king  —  call  those  who  have  the  command  of  many  hundreds  among 
them,  and  who,  by  our  people,  are  called  "  Sackemakers, ''  the  which  the  people  hearing, 
some  will  begin  to  mutter  and  shake  their  heads  as  of  a  silly  fable,  and  others,  in  order 
to  express  regard  and  friendship  to  such  a  proposition,  will  say  "orith,"  that  is,  good. 
Now,  by  what  means  are  we  to  make  an  inroad  or  practicable  breach  for  the  salvation  of 
this  people .?  I  take  the  liberty,  on  this  point,  of  enlarging  somewhat  to  your  Right 
Reverend. 

Their  language,  which  is  the  first  thing  to  be  employed  with  them,  methinks,  is  en- 
tirely peculiar.  Many  of  our  common  people  call  it  an  easy  language,  which  is  soon 
learned,  but  I  am  of  a  contrary  opinion.  For  those,  who  can  understand  their  words  to 
some  extent  and  repeat  them,  fail  greatly  in  the  pronunciation,  and  speak  a  broken  lan- 
guage, like  the  language  of  Ashdod.  For  these  people  have  difficult  aspirates  and  many 
guttural  letters,  which  are  formed  more  in  the  throat  than  by  the  mouth,  teeth  and  I:ps, 
which  our  people,  not  being  accustomed  to,  guess  at  by  means  of  their  signs,  and  thea 
imagine  they  have  accomplished  something  wonderful.  It  is  true,  one  can  learn  as- 
much  as  is  sufficient  for  the  purposes  of  trading,  but  this  occurs  almost  as  much  by  signs 
witl;  the  thumb  and  fingers  as  by  speaking,  which  could  not  be  done  in  religious  matters. 
It  also  seems  to  us  that  they  rather  design  to  conceal  their  language  from  us  than  to 
properly  communicate  it,  except  in  things  which  happen  in  daily  trade,  saying  that  it  is 
sufficient  for  us  to  understand  them  in  those,  and  then  ihey  speak  only  half  their  reasons 
with  shortened  words,  and  frequently  call  a  dozen  things  and  even  more  by  one  name, 
and  all  things  which  have  only  a  rude  resemblance  to  each  other  they  frequently  call  by 
the  same  name.  In  truth,  it  is  a  made-up,  childish  language,  so  that  even  those  who  can 
best  of  all  speak  with  the  Indians,  and  get  along  well  in  trade,  are  nevertheless  wholly  in 
the  dark  and  bewildered  when  they  hear  the  Indians  speaking  with  each  other  by  them- 
selves. 

As  to  what  concerns  myself  and  my  household,  I  find  myself,  by  the  loss  of  my  good 
and  helping  partner,  very  much  hindered  and  distressesd  —  for  my  two  little  daughters 
are  yet  small ;  maid  servants  are  not  here  to  be  had,  at  least  none  whom  they  advise  me 
to  take,  and  the  Angola  slaves  are  thievish,  lazy,  and  useless  trash.  The  young  man 
whom  I  took  with  me,  I  discharged  after  Whitsuntide,  for  the  reason  that  I  could  not 
employ  him  out  of  doors  at  any  working  of  the  land,  and  in-doors  he  was  a  burden  to 
me  instead  of  an  assistance.      He  is  now  elsewhere  at  service  with  the  boers. 

The  promises  which  the  Lords  Masters  of  the  Company  hail  made  me  of  some  acres 
of  surveyed  lands  for  me  to  make  myself  a  home,  instead  i)f  a  free  table,  which  other- 
wise belonged  to  me,  is  wholly  of  no  avail.      For  their  Honors  well  know  that  there  are 


Pf^imitive    New     Amsterdam. 


31 


no  horses,  cows  or  laborers  lo  be  obtainetl  liero  for  moiuy.  I'.viTy  uii<-'  is  sliort  in  these 
parliculars  and  wants  more.  The  expense  would  idi  imublr  iwc,  if  an  ()])i)orlunity  only 
olVeretl  ;  as  it  wmild  In-  Kir  our  own  accommodation,  althou^di  tiiere  were  no  profit  from 
it  (save  that  the  Honorable  Manai^crs  t)we  me  as  much  as  tiie  value  of  a  free  table),  for 
there  is  here  no  refreshment  of  butler,  milk,  etc.,  to  be  obtained,  although  a  very  high 
price  be  offered  for  tiicm,  for  the  pcopK'  wlio  brini^  them  and  bespeak  them  are  suspicious 
of  each  other.  So  I  will  be  compelled  to  pass  lIirou,u:h  the  winter  without  butter  and 
c)lher  necessaries,  which  the  ships  did  not  brim;'  with  lliem  to  lie  sold  here.  The  rations 
which  are  given  out  and  chargeil  for  high  enough,  are  all  hartl,  stale  food,  as  they  are 
used  to  on  board  ship,  and  fretiuenlly  this  is  not  very  good,  and  there  can  not  be  obtained 
as  much  oC  it  as  ma\'  be  tlesircd.  I  began  to  get  some  strength  through  the  grace  of  the 
Lord,  but  in  consequence  of  this  hard  fiire  of  beans  and  grey  peas,  which  are  hard 
enough,  barley,  stockfish,  etc.,  without  much  change,  I  cannot  become  well  as  I  other- 
wise would.  The  summer  yields  something,  but  what  of  that  for  anyone  who  has  no 
strength?  The  Indians  also  bring  some  things,  but  one  who  has  no  wares,  such  as 
knives,  beads,  and  the  like,  or  seawant,  cannot  have  any  good  of  them.  Though  the 
people  trade  such  things  lor  proper  wares,  I  know  not  whether  it  is  permitted  by  the  laws 
of  the  Company.  I  have  now  ordered  from  Holland  most  necessaries,  but  expect  to  pass 
through  the  winter  with  hard  and  scanty  food. 

The  country  yields  many  good  things  for  the  support  of  life,  but  they  are  all  to  be 
gathered  in  an  uncultivated  and  wild  state.  It  is  necessary  that  there  should  be  better 
regulations  established,  and  people  who  have  the  knowledge  and  the  implements  for 
gathering  things  in  their  season  should  collect  them  together,  as  undoubtedly  will  gradually 
be  the  case.  In  the  meanwhile,  I  wish  the  Lords  Masters  to  be  courteously  inquired 
of  how  I  can  have  the  opportunity  to  possess  a  portion  of  land,  and  at  m_\-  own  expense 
to  support  myself  upon  it.      .      .      . 

The  business  of  furs  is  dull  on  account  of  a  new  war  of  the  Maechibaeys  [Mohawks] 
against  the  Mohicans,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  river.  There  have  occurred  cruel  murders 
on  both  sides.  The  Mohicans  have  fled,  and  their  lands  are  unoccupied,  and  are  very 
fertile  and  pleasant.  It  grieves  us  that  there  are  no  people  and  that  there  is  no  regulation 
of  the  Lords  INIanagers  to  occupy  the  same.  They  fell  much  wood  here  to  carry  to  the 
fatherland,  but  the  vessels  are  too  few  to  take  much  of  it.  They  are  making  a  wind-mill 
to  saw  the  wood,  and  we  also  have  a  grist-mill.  They  bake  brick  here,  but  they  are  very 
poor.  There  is  good  material  for  burning  lime,  namely,  oyster  shells,  in  large  quantities. 
The  burning  of  potash  has  not  succeeded  ;  the  master  and  his  laborers  are  all  greatly  dis- 
appointed. We  are  busy  now  in  building  a  fort  of  good  quarry-stone,  which  is  to  be 
found  not  far  from  here  in  abundance.  jNIay  the  Lord  only  build  and  watch  over  our 
walls.  There  is  a  good  means  for  making  salt,  for  there  are  convenient  places,  the  water 
is  salt  enough,  and  there  is  no  want  of  heat  in  summer. 

The  harvest,  God  be  praised,  is  in  the  barns,  and  is  better  gathered  than  ever  before. 
The  ground  is  fertile  enough  to  reward  labor,  but  they  must  clean  it  well,  and  fertilize  it 
the  same  as  our  lands  require. 

If  it  shall  be  convenient  for  }our  Honor,  or  any  of  the  Reverend  Brothers,  to  write 
hither  to  me  a  letter  conveying  matters  which  might  be  of  importance  in  any  degree  to 
me,  it  would  be  very  interesting  to  me,  living  here  in  a  savage  land  without  any  society 
of  our  order,  and  would  be  a  spur  to  write  more  assiduously  to  the  Reverend  Brothers 
concerning  what  might  happen  here.  And  especially  do  not  forget  my  hearty  salutation 
to  the  beloved  wife  and  brother-in-law  of  your  Right  Reverend,  who  have  shown  me 
nothing  but  friendship  and  kindness  above  my  deserts.  If  there  is  anything  in  which  I 
can,  in  return,  serve  or  gratify  your  Right  Reverend,  I  will  be  glad  to  do  so,  and  will  not 


32 


Primitive    New    Amste  i\_d  a  m  . 


be  behindhand  in  anything.  Concluding,  then,  herewith,  and  commending  myself  in 
your  Right  Reverend's  favorable  and  holy  prayers  to  the  Lord. 

Honored  and  learned  Sir,  Beloved  Brother  in  Christ  and  Kind  Friend. 

Commending  your  Right  Reverend  and  all  of  you  to  Almighty  God,  by  His  grace,  to 

continued  health  and  prosperity,  and  to  eternal  salvation  of  heart. 
From  the  Island  of  Manhattan  in  New  Netherland,  this  the  nth  August,  anno  1628, 
by  me,  your  Right  Reverend's  obedient  in  Christ. 

Jonas  IMichaelius. 

[Sealed  with  a  wafered  signet  not  discernible.] 

Governor  Van  Twiller's  administration  of  four  years'  duration  was 
a  failure.  He  had  been  but  a  clerk  in  the  Company's  warehouses  at 
Amsterdam,  and  his  sudden  promotion  to  this  important  position  was 
unfortunate  for  all  concerned.  He  quarrelled  with  Dominie  Bogardus, 
and  the  dominie  in  turn  from  his  pulpit  in  the  church  proclaimed  him 
"an  imp  of  the  devil."  This  offended  the  Governor  and  he  withdrew 
from  church  worship,  venturing  the  opinion  that  the  dominie  possessed 
more  passion  than  piety.  There  is  little  doubt  the  dominie  was  pomp- 
ous, and  sensitive  to  criticism,  for  in  the  year  1638  (under  Van  Twiller's 
successor)  the  records  show  that 

.  .  for  slandering  the  Rev.  E.  Bogardus,  a  woman  was  summoned  at  the  sound  of  a 
bell  in  the  fort  before  the  Governor  and  Council,  and  compelled  to  retract  her  accusations 
publicly  in  the  following  manner:  "I  confess  and  declare  that  I  believe  the  Rev.  E. 
Bogardus  to  be  honest  and  pious,  and  that  I  have  lied  falsely. " 

This  retraction,  under  duress,  seems  to  have  been  sufficiently  satis- 
factory to  vindicate  or  reestablish  among  his  people  the  impulsive  and 
imperious  dominie's  reputation  for  piety,  in  his  own  estimation. 

While  Van  Twiller's  executive  capacity  was  very  limited,  his  trading 
propensities  were  more  apparent,  and  he  also  effected  sev^eral  public 
improvements.  The  fort,  commenced  in  1626,  was  rebuilt,  a  chapel, 
some  barracks  and  a  guard-house  were  erected  within  it.  A  cemetery, 
the  first  public  one,  was  laid  out  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  near 
Morris  Street.  Three  wind-mills  were  set  in  operation  near  the  fort,  to 
grind  the  corn,  and  several  brick  and  stone  buildings  went  up,  to  be 
utilized  as  warehouses,  the  brick  for  this  purpose  having  been  brought 
from  Holland. 

Governor  Van  Twiller  soon  became  involved  in  controversies  with 
the  numerous  patroons  (so  called),  or  proprietors  of  colonies  that  were 
being  established  outside  of  the  jurisdiction  of  this  island,  under  the 
Freedoms  and  Exemptions  Act,  previously  referred  to,  whose  products 
were  to  be  brought  here  for  sale  and  transportation  to  Holland. 

An  incident  demonstrating  his  lack  of  courage  and  capacity  was  the 
•arrival  of  an  English  trading  ship,  the  commander  of  which  proposed 


P  PRIMITIVE      New     y^MSTERDAM. 


33 


to  sail  up  tin;  llutlson  to  purchase  furs  of  the  colonies  and  Indians 
along  its  banks.  The  Governor  sent  his  secretary  out  to  the  ship  to 
protest  against  sucl^  an  innovation,  to  which  the  I'^nglish  commander 
replied  that  he  would  go  past  Fort  Amsterdam  and  up  the  river  or  die 
in  the  attempt.  Van  Twiller  ortlered  three  guns  to  be  fired  in  honor 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  the  English  captain  returned  the  salute 
with  three  guns  in  honor  of  King  Charles  of  England,  and,  hoisting 
sail,  passed  under  the  guns  of  the  fort,  while  Van  Twiller  and  his  coun- 
cil stood  in  front  of  the  same,  apparently  dazed  by  the  boldness  of  the 
Englishman.  When  the  Governor  had  sufficiently  recovered  his  senses. 
two  casks  of  wine  and  beer  were  ordered  to  be  brought  down  to  the 
fort,  and,  summoning  the  citizens  there,  the  casks  were  opened  and  all 
drank  vigorously  "to  the  confusion  and  dismay  of  the  King  of  En- 
gland! "  And  the  Englishman  went  sailing  peacefully  up  the  Hudson. 
Van  Twiller,  who  was  not  so  neglectful  of  his  personal  interests,  em- 
ployed much  of  his  time  in  speculating  in  land,  having  bought  Black- 
well's  and  Governor's  islands  durinsf  his  term  of  office,  toi^ether  with 
seven  smaller  estates  which  he  held  in  his  own  name.  Finally  a  dis- 
pute with  one  Van  Dincklagen,  the  fiscal  secretary  of  the  province,  led 
to  his  recall,  in  1637,  and  William  Kieft  arrived  on  March  28,  in  that 
year,  to  succeed  him. 

Kieft  bore  an  unsavory  reputation  at  home.  Born  in  Amsterdam, 
educated  as  a  merchant,  he  finally  became  a  bankrupt.  He  was  a  man 
of  more  energy  than  Van  Twiller,  but  possessed  an  irrascible  tempera- 
ment and  was  hasty  in  judgment,  both  of  which  unfitted  him  for  the 
delicate  and  responsible  duties  of  his  position.  He  immediately  set 
himself  about  reformincr  some  of  the  abuses  which  existed  during"  the 
reign  of  his  predecessor.  Being  now  a  full-fledged  "  Governor"  it  was 
necessary  to  assume  a  virtue,  and  among  his  first  acts  was  the  con- 

tractinor  for  the  construction  of  a  new 
church  within  the  fort,  to  be  of  stone, 
to  be  finished  within  three  years,  sev- 
enty-two feet  in  length  by  fifty-two  feet 
in  breadth,  at  a  cost,  as  per  contract,  of 
one  thousand  dollars.  Over  the  main 
entrance  to  the  church  was  placed  a  mar- 
ble slab  upon  which  was  the  inscription: 

Anno    1642 

William  Kieft    Directeur  General 

Heeft  de  gemeente  Desen  Tempel 

cloen   bouwen.* 


bird's-eye  view  of 

FORT  AMSTERDAM,    I  64  2. 

(Fac-simite  of  original  in  British  Museum.) 


*  The  translation  of  which  is  :    WilUam  Kieft,  Director 
General,  hath  the  commonalty  caused  this  temple  to  be  built. 


34 


Primitive    New    Amste  f^d  a  m 


This  stone  was  found  about  the  year  1800,  underneath  the  ground, 
upon  the  site  of  the  old  fort,  and  was  preserved  for  several  years,  but 
in  the  great  fire  of  1835  was  destroyed. 

In  the  year  1642  a  large  stone  tavern  was  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Pearl  Street  and  Coenties  Slip,  fronting  the  East  River.  It  proved  to 
be  a  poor  investment,  was  sold,  in  1653,  to  the  city  and  used  for 
the  purposes  of  a  "  Stadt  Huys,"  or  City  Hall,  until  the  year  1700. 

A  Government  code  of  laws  was  issued  by  Kieft,  prescribing  severe 
penalties  for  illegal  trafficking  in  furs,  prohibiting  the  sale  of  powder 
and  guns  to  Indians,  levying  an  excise  duty  upon  wine  and  tobacco, 
and  compelling  all  inhabitants  to  be  within  doors  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  unless  provided  with  a  pass.  Sailors  were  prohibited  from 
walking  the  streets  after  sundown,  and  fixed  hours  of  labor  were 
established. 

In  1642  the  first  deed  of  a  city  lot,  east  of  the  fort,  was  granted  to 
Hendrick  H.  Kip.  The  next  year  more  system  was  observed  in  the 
laying  out  of  streets,  for  the  location  and  erection  of  buildings  about 
the  Battery,  extending  them  northward  through  Broad  to  Wall  streets. 
Broadway  was  named  "  Heere  Straat."  During  this  year  several  lots 
were  sold  upon  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  the  first  grant  being  to 
Martin  Krigier,  for  eighty-six  rods,  opposite  the  Bowling  Green. 
Upon  one  of  these  lots  he  erected  what  was  called  "  Krigier's  Tavern," 
a  place  of  great  public  resort.  It  was  subsequently  taken  down  and  a 
larger  one  constructed,  named  "King's  Arms  Tavern."  The  prices  of 
lots  averaged,  in  this  vicinity,  at  this  date,  about  twelve  dollars  each. 

The  currency  of  the  island  was  wampum,  being  of  two  kinds  or 
values,  white  and  black,  the  former  being  made  from  a  turbinated  shell, 
somewhat  resembling  the  snail,  the  latter  from  the  purple  portion  of 
the  round  clam.  These  were  rounded  into  scales,  pierced  and  polished, 
and  strung  like  beads,  the  length  of  the  string  denoting  the  value.  The 
best  was  made  from  the  shells  found  upon  the  Long  Island  shore,  but 
the  ingenious  and  law-abiding  Puritans  soon  duplicated  it  with  inferior- 
looking  specimens,  however,  that  seemed  to  be  made  of  porcelain  and 
probably  came  from  England.  Governor  Kieft  issued  a  proclama- 
tion cautioning  persons  against  circulating  such  spurious  currency  and 
imposing  heavy  penalties  upon  any  who  should  be  found  engaged  in 
its  manufacture. 

Indignities  of  every  kind  were  continually  being  perpetrated  upon 
the  Indians,  who  never  forgot  an  insult  and  were  storing  up  wrath 
against  Dutch  and  English  alike.  One  night  a  party  of  reckless  Dutch- 
men visited  Staten  Island  and  carried  away  some  pigs,  belonging  to 
one  of  the  patroons,  which  offense  was  attributed  to  the  Indians,  and 


Primitive    New    /imste  r^d  a  m  . 


85 


Governor  Kieft  clis]);Ucli('il  a  coinpaiu'  of  seventy  soldiers  to  their 
encampment  to  jjunish  them.  The)-  attacked  the  innocent  Raritans, 
killed  tc;n  of  tlieir  warriors,  and  returned  with  the  loss  of  one  man. 
This  was  the  "  last  straw,"  and  the  Indians  determined  upon  a  war  for 
the  extermination  of  the  white  man.  They  had  not  forij^otten  the  first 
provocation  —  the  murder  at  Fresh  Water  Pond,  nor  the  many  that 
intervened,  and  the  time  for  action  had  been  loni^^  delated.  Sweet  is 
an  Indian's  revenge,  and  long  is  his  memory.  They  fell  upon  the  little 
colony  at  Staten  Island,  burned  their  dwellings  and  crops  and  killed  all 
of  the  inhabitants. 

Kieft  responded  by  the  massacre  at  Pavonia,  and  from  this  time 
onward  till  the  close  of  his  administration,  murder,  rapine  and  other 
outra<ies  were  common  on  both  sides.  The  war  continued  for  two 
years,  and  at  its  close  hardly  one  hundred  persons — men,  women  and 
children  —  were  left  upon  the  Island  of  Manhattan. 

Kieft  finally  realized  the  foil)'  of  his  methods  and  made  overtures 
for  peace.  The  Government  at  Amsterdam  saw  the  futility  of  his 
course,  which  was  terminated  by  the  arrival  of  Petrus  Stuyvesant,  as 
Governor,  on  May  ii,  1647.  He  found  the  colony  in  debt,  as  the 
result  of  Kieft's  administration  of  affairs,  to  an  amount  exceeding  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  Stuyvesant  was  a  man  of  imperious  will,  of 
great  force  of  character,  active,  brave,  vigilant,  large-hearted,  far- 
sighted  and  honest.  He  had  formerly  been  a  Director  of  the  Dutch 
colony  at  Curacoa  and  had  lost  a  leg  in  the  military  service  of  his 
Government.  He  found  great  difficulties  to  contend  with,  and  applied 
his  energies  at  once  to  their  solution  or  adjustment.  In  July  of  this 
year  the  deposed  Kieft,  in  company  with  the  irrepressible  Dominie 
Bogardus  and  eighty-four  others  from  the  various  outside  colonies, 
sailed  for  home,  but  the  ship  foundered  off  the  coast  of  Wales  and  all 
perished. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  appointed  a  council  and  called  a  meeting  of 
the  citizens  at  the  fort,  which  had  become  much  dilapidated,  when  he 
made  a  speech,  and  closed  by  saying :  "  I  will  govern  you  as  a  father 
does  his  children."  His  first  duty  was  to  repair  the  fort  and  establish 
measures  for  the  relief  of  the  depleted  treasury.  There  were  sunny 
and  stormy  days  throughout  his  administration,  but  it  was  creditable  on 
the  whole,  and  he  seemed  to  be  a  general  favorite  among  the  people. 
Emigration  followed  his  advent  and  the  credit  of  the  colonies  became 
once  more  encouraofinsf. 

In  1648  a  weekly  market  was  established,  to  be  opened  on  Mondays. 

In  1 65 2  the  city  was  first  incorporated. 

In  1653  it  was  enclosed  by  palisades  on  a  line  with  Wall  Street. 


36 


Pl^IMITIYE     NEViT     y^MSTERDAM. 


In  1 657  it  was  officially  surveyed  and  several  streets  laid  out  and 
named  and  four  of  them  paved,  the  first  paving  that  had  been  done  in 
the  city. 

In  1 658  two  hundred  and  fifty  fire-buckets,  with  hooks  and  lad- 
ders, were  imported  from  Holland,  and  a  fire-watch  was  established. 
Thatched  roofs  were  from  this  time  prohibited  and  wooden  chimneys 
were  ordered  removed.  Rents  increased  in  value,  averaging  for  the 
best  houses  about  fourteen  dollars  per  annum.  Schools  were  organized, 
and  cows  were  prohibited,  by  ordinance,  from  grazing  in  the  public 
streets.     Thus  matters  progressed  until  1664,  when  a  crisis  came. 

Charles  II  granted  to  his  brother  James,  Duke  of  York,  a  patent 
of  all  the  territory  lying  between  the  Connecticut  River  and  Delaware 
Bay,  which  included  the  island  of  Manhattan,  and  dispatched  four 
ships,  with  five  hundred  men,  under  Colonel  Richard  Nicholls,  to  en- 
force possession  of  the  same.  This  was  upon  the  assumption,  which 
the  English  always  maintained,  that  a  prior  discovery  of  some  portion 
of  the  coast  by  Cabot  entitled  them  to  claim  the  continent.  Several  of 
the  Dutch  colonies  in  Westchester  County  and  on  Long  Island  had 
already  fallen  into  the  hands  of  English  settlers  and  speculators,  and 
many  Englishmen  were  doing  business  on  the  Island  of  Manhattan 
under  the  Dutch  regime,  and  welcomed  the  rumors  of  the  expected 
arrival  of  the  fleet  to  liberate  them  from  the  discipline  and  rigors  which 
Governor  Stuyvesant  had  imposed  upon  them.  The  fort,  which  had 
defended  all  against  the  Indians,  was  in  no  condition  to  cope  with  the 
British  men-of-war,  which  could  sail  up  on  either  side  and  soon  lay  the 
city  in  ashes. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  fleet,  Colonel  Nicholls  sent  a  summons  to 
Governor  Stuyvesant  to  surrender  the  possession  of  the  island,  prom- 
ising protection  to  life  and  property.  The  Governor  called  together 
his  council  and  the  inhabitants  and  made  a  characteristic,  war-like 
speech,  but  it  failed  to  arouse  them  to  resistance  against  such  over- 
whelming odds,  and  on  the  morning  of  September  8,  1664,  he,  with 
bowed  head  and  broken  spirit,  marched  out  of  the  fort,  upon  his  wooden 
leg,  at  the  head  of  his  command  and  surrendered  to  the  English. 
Colonel  Nicholls  was  proclaimed  Deputy  Governor,  and  New  Amster- 
dam, with  the  British  flag  waving  from  the  fort,  was  christened  "  New 
York." 

Governor  Stuyvesant  returned  to  Holland  a  few  months  afterward, 
remaining  about  four  years,  but  longed  to  return  to  the  island  he  had 
presided  over  for  seventeen  years  through  such  extraordinary  vicissi- 
tudes of  dangers,  triumphs  and  defeats,  and  where  he  had  won  so 
many  friends,  who  still  clung  to  him  as  children  will  to  parents  and  pro- 


PETRUS   STUYVESANT. 

Born    in  Utrecht,    1602.      Was    Director  of  the   Dutch  Colony  at  Curacoa   for   many 

years.      Lost  a  leg  while  engaged  in  the  military  siege  of  the  Portugese  Capital 

of  St.   Martin.       Arrived  at  New  Amsterdam  i\Iay   11,    1647,   with  a 

commission  as  Governor  of  the  Colony ;    continued  in  the 

office  for  seventeen   years.      Surrendered   the    fort 

and  control  of  the  Colony  to  the  English 

September    8,     1664.      Died    in 

New  York  City,  1682. 


37 


38 


Primitive    New    yA^MSTE  p^^D  a  m 


lectors.  His  return  was  the  occasion  for  a  day  of  jubilee  among  the 
Dutch  residents,  and  he  repaired  to  the  residence  on  his  farm,  or 
*'  bouwerie,"  in  the  neighborhood  of  Second  Avenue  and  Thirteenth 
Street,  where  he  had  also  erected  a  chapel  for  the  convenience  of 
his  numerous  family,  and  which  he  continued  to  attend  until  his 
death.  He  was  buried  in  the  yard  of  the  chapel,  where  his  remains 
reposed  until  1795,  when  they  Avere  removed  to  the  vault  of  St.  Marks 
Church,  a  few  hundred  feet  distant,  where  he  now  sleeps  with  the  mem- 
bers of  his  household  and  their  descendants.  The  sexton  of  the  church 
informed  the  writer  that  this  vault  (the  only  one  that  is  underneath  the 
foundation  of  the  church)  contains  about  forty  bodies.  It  is  built  of 
brick,  and  is  approached  by  a  flight  of  steps,  beneath  the  pavement, 
leading,  upon  the  north,  to  the  rear  of  the  church.  A  marble  slab, 
affixed  to  the  foundation  of  the  church,  contains  this  inscription  : 


. 

In  tliis  Vault  lies  buri 

ed 

Petrus 

Stuyvesaxt 

late 

Captain 

Gen 

eral  and  Commander  in 

Chief 

of  Amsterdam 

in 

New 

Netherland 

now  called 

New 

York 

and  the  E 

utch 

West  India 

Islands,    died  in 

A.   D. 

167I 

Aged 

80  }'ears 

• 

About  ten  )'ears  ago,  upon  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  Street  and 
Third  Avenue,  there  stood  a  fine  old  pear  tree,  which  the  Governor 
brought  from  Holland  and  planted  there,  "by  which,"  he  said,  his 
"  name  mieht  still  be  remembered."  It  has  succumbed  to  the  ravages 
of  decay.  The  old  landmarks  of  the  Amsterdamers,  or  Knickerbock- 
ers, are  fast  crumbling  away  —  only  memories  remain.  Their  habits, 
language  and  style  of  dress  are  obsolete.  Their  manners  and  customs, 
with  a  few  singular  exceptions,  belong  to  the  past. 


CrT^l=>TER    III. 

o — n — ° 


K  1-)  c  •  fei  1  f  y  •  o     •   J~)  c  w  •    y  o  r  1^ ,  ^if 


FROM    1664    TO    1753. 


'■^1;^' 


H  E  administration  of  the  Entrlish  Governor,  Nicholls,  was  a 
peaceful  one,  he  being  disposed  to  conciliate  his  Dutch  subjects 
'^^^  as  far  as  practicable.  Meanwhile  trade  revived  and  the  people 
again  prospered.  An  illustration  of  their  cheerful  submission  to  the 
new  order  of  things,  or  their  disposition  to  make  a  virtue  of  necessity, 
is  furnished  by  the  following  petition,  which  they  addressed  to  the 
Duke  of  York  three  months  after  the  surrender  : 


To  His  Royal  Highness^,   the  Duke  of  York,   by  the  grace  of  God   our  Most   Gracious 
Lord,  Greeting  : 

It  hath  pleased  God  to  bring  us  under  your  Royal  Highness'  obedience,  wherein  we 
promise  to  conduct  ourselves  as  good  subjects  are  bound  to  do,  deeming  ourselves  for- 
tunate that  His  Highness  hath  provided  us  with  so  good,  wise  and  intelligent  a  gentle- 
man for  Governor,  as  the  Hon'ble  Colonel  Richard  Nicholls,  confident  and  assured  that 
under  the  wings  of  this  valiant  gentleman  we  shall  bloom  and  grow  like  the  cedar  on 
Lebanon,  especially  because  we  are  assured  of  His  Royal  Highness'  excellent  gracious- 
ness  and  care  for  his  subjects  and  people. 

The  Schout,  Burgomasters  and  Schepen  of  this  city  of  New  York,  on  the  island  of 
INIanhattan,  Your  Rojal  Highness'  faithful  subjects  and  humble  liegemen,  hereby  request 
that  His  Highness  would  be  pleased  to  benefit  and  favor  this  place  with  the  same  rights 
and  privileges  that  His  ^Majesty,  our  King  and  Most  Gracious  Lord  is  conferring  on  his 
subjects  in  England,  that  is,  that  ships  of  all  nations  may  come  hither  to  take  into  En- 
gland the  products  of  our  own  country,  and  may  sail  thence  back  again  free  and  without 
impost,  on  condition  of  paying  the  King's  duty.  But  inasmuch  as  this  place  hath  been 
some  years  impoverished  by  onerous  recognitions,  which  we  have  been  heretofore  obliged 
to  pay,  we  therefore,  through  regard  for  this,  our  commonalty,  and  the  prosperity  of  His 
Highness,  our  IMost  Gracious  Lord's  lands  in  this  province,  and  not  only  for  our.  Your 
Royal  Highness'  humble  loyal  subjects,  eternal  praise,  but  also  a  general  renown  for  His 
Royal  Highness  throughout  all  Christendom,  pray  that  no  more  be  paid  here  for  five  or 
six  years,  than  ships  pay  which  come  from  other  places  out  of  England,  or  even  from 
England  to  Boston,  or  any  place  in  New  England,  or  else  go  to  their  own  countries, 
which  being  so  long  free  of  all  burdens,  or  at  least  paying  but   few,  we  doubt  not  His 

39 


40 


The    City    of    New    Vo r^k , 


Royal  Highness  will,  at  the  close  of  three  years,  learn  with  hearty  delight  the  advance- 
ment of  this  province,  even  to  a  place  from  which  Your  Royal  Highness  shall  come  to 
derive  great  revenue,  being  then  peopled  with  thousands  of  families  and  having  great 
trade  by  sea  from  New  England  and  other  places,  out  of  Europe,  Africa  or  America. 
And  in  order  that  everything  may  be  taken  in  hand  with  greater  pleasure,  zeal  and  cour- 
age, we  respectfully  request  that  all  privileges  and  prerogatives  which  His  Royal  High- 
ness may  please  to  grant  this  place  in  addition  to  those  inserted  and  conditioned  in  the 
capitulation  on  the  surrender  of  this  place,  may  be  made  known  by  letters  patent  from 
His  Royal  Highness  .and  His  Majesty  of  Great  Britain,  our  Lord,  not  only  in  the  United 
Provinces,  but  also  in  France,  Spain  and  other  places. 

Praying,  then.  His  Royal  Highness  to  be  pleased  to  take  the  interest  and  welfare  of 
this  country  with  serious  consideration,  and  if  His  Royal  Highness  would  please  to 
vouchsafe  to  write  a  letter  to  us,  his  dutiful  subjects,  he  will  oblige  us  more  and  more  to 
pray  for  His  Royal  Highness,  our  Most  Gracious  Lord,  that  God,  the  Lord,  may  spare 
Your  Royal  Highness  in  long-continued  health  and  prosperity. 

We  are  and  remain  Your  Royal  Highness'  dutiful  subjects,  Schout,  Burgomasters  and 
Schepen. 

By  order,  &c.  Johannes  Nevius,  Secretary. 

This  was  a  pitiful  appeal  from  the  Dutch  lamb  to  the  British  lion. 
Nevius,  the  author,  was  a  former  secretary  of  Governor  Stuyvesant, 
who  had  returned  to  Holland,  and  it  filled  the  old  Calvinist's  cup  of 
humiliation  to  overflowing,  when  he  learned  that  the  patronizing  plaints 
of  his  cherished  colonists  had  been  thus  committed  to  paper  by  his 
former  secretary  and  transmitted  to  his  hated  rival. 

Governor  Nicholls,  being  of  a  conservative  temperament,  pursued 
a  conciliatory  course,  permitting  matters  to  drift  along  in  their  usual 
way,  instituting  no  changes  or  innovations  in  the  manner  of  govern- 
ment until  the  year  following  his  appointment.  On  June  12,  i665,  he 
promulgated  the  first  English  charter,  which  annulled  the  Municipal 
Government  of  Schout,  Burgomasters  and  Schepen,  substituting  there- 
for the  titles  of  Mayor,  Alderman  and  Sheriff.  Thomas  Willett  was 
appointed  the  first  Mayor  of  the  City  of  New  York ;  Thomas  Delavall, 
Oloffe  Stevenson  Van  Cortlandt,  John  Brugges,  Cornelius  Van  Ruyven 
and  John  Lawrence,  Aldermen,  and  Allard  Anthony,  Sheriff. 

Trials  by  jury  were  generally  observed.  The  city  records  were 
ordered  to  be  kept  in  both  the  English  and  Dutch  languages.  The 
population  at  this  time  was  about  thirteen  hundred.  The  only  church 
was  the  one  within  the  fort,  erected  by  Governor  Kieft,  being  of  the 
denomination  of  the  Dutch  Reformed,  Governor  Nicholls  introduced 
the  services  of  the  church  of  England  and  gave  permission  to  the 
Lutherans  to  erect  a  house  of  worship,  a  privilege  which  Governor 
Stuyvesant  had  denied  them.  The  long-disputed  boundaries  between 
Connecticut  and  New  York  were  now  satisfactorily  adjusted. 

In  1668  Governor  Nicholls  resigned  and  returned  to  England, 
remaining  until  about  1672,  when,  war  having  been  declared  between 


The    Pity    of    New    Vop^k-  41 

lMiL;laiul  and  Holland,  he  look  a  prominent  part,  and  was  killed  dur- 
inL?"  a  naval  cncracfcnienl.  Colonel  I'Vancis  Lovelace,  also  an  l-.n^lish 
officer,  succeeded  him  here  as  Governor,  proving  to  be  arbitrary,  des- 
potic and  un[)0[)ular,  im[)osing  heavy  penalties  for  the  slightest  offenses, 
and  levying  onerous  taxes,  not  only  upon  the  people  of  the  island  but 
compelling  the  inhabitants  of  Long  Island  and  Staten  Lsland  to  pay  a 
large  share  of  the  expenses  incurred  in  repairing  the  fort  and  other 
defenses  upon  this  island. 

In  1669  the  first  public  seal  was  ordered  by  the  Duke  of  York  for 
the  city  authorities,  also  a  silver  mace  for  the  presiding  officer  of  the' 
Municipal  Assembly  and  cassocks  for  the  President  and  Board  of  Alder- 
men. During  the  war  that  raged  between  England  and  Holland,  in 
1672,  the  States-General  at  Holland  conceived  the  project  of  recaptur- 
ing this  city,  and  fitted  out  a  squadron  of  five  vessels  under  com- 
mand of  Admirals  Benckes  and  Evertsen  and  Captains  Colve,  Van  Tye 
and  Boer,  which  arrived  in  July,  1673,  and  anchored  off  Staten  Island. 
Governor  Lovelace,  instead  of  remaining  and  making  a  show  of  de- 
fense, proceeded  to  Albany  upon  a  frivolous  pretense  of  settling  some  In- 
dian difficulties,  leaving  the  fort,  which,  at  this  time,  was  provided  with 
about  fifty  guns,  in  charge  of  Captain  John  Manning;  but  the  Captain 
lacked  the  spirit  or  courage  to  make  any  resistance.  The  city  was  sur- 
rendered to  the  Dutch  authorities  upon  demand,  and  its  name  changed 
to  "  NeAV  Orange,"  while  the  fort  was  christened  "  William  Hendrick," 
and  the  municipal  offices  of  Schout,  Burgomaster  and  Schepen  were 
reestablished. 

The  surrender  was  most  humiliating  to  England,  and  it  was  de- 
termined that  all  her  energies  should  thenceforth  be  employed  for  the 
subjugation  of  Holland,  in  order  that  the  Dutch  possessions  here  might 
revert  to  her  permanently. 

The  war  continued  for  a  year  following  the  surrender,  when,  both 
countries  becoming  weary  of  the  struggle,  overtures  were  made  which 
resulted  in  the  final  cession  by  Holland,  on  February  9,  1674,  of  this 
city,  by  terms  of  a  treaty  of  peace,  executed  at  Westminster,  which 
took  effect  upon  November  10,  following,  when  the  government  was 
turned  over  to  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  who  was  authorized,  by  the  Duke 
of  York,  to  assume  the  Governor's  functions,  to  reorganize  the 
municipal  departments,  and  obliterate,  as  far  as  possible,  all  the  customs 
and  laws  possessing  any  Dutch  significance.  He  was  equal  to  the 
task,  and  soon  made  himself  the  most  obnoxious  personage  of  all  the 
Directors  and  Governors  who  had  exercised  authority  here. 

The  English,  like  the  Indians,  were  accredited  with  long  memories, 
and  Andros  commenced  and  continued  a  series  of  petty  revenges  that 


% 


42 


The     City    of    New    Vo r^k , 


entitled  him  to  be  ranked  among  the  Kirks,  Bacons  and  Jeffries  of 
early  times. 

The  city  at  this  time  contained  about  three  hundred  buildings. 
Andros  devised,  in  1678,  a  local  scheme  to  monopolize  the  grinding 
and  bolting  of  flour  upon  the  island,  and  its  exportation,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  industry  in  the  surrounding  country,  which  depressed  trade 
elsewhere  and  impoverished  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  colo- 
nies. The  law  was  so  unpopular  that  it  was  repealed  in  1694,  when 
general  prosperity  soon  became  apparent  and  the  conditions  of  exist- 
ence were  made  more  tolerable. 

In  1667  various  improvements  were  made  in  laying  out  streets 
below  Maiden  Lane.  Six  public  wells  were  constructed,  and  the  old 
churchyard  (the  first  in  the  city)  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  near 
Morris  Street,  was  leveled  and  sold  for  building  lots.  The  old  fort  was 
named  "  Fort  James,"  in  honor  of  James  II.  Ordinances  for  the  pro- 
moting of  public  morals  were  issued ;  the  public  gates  were  directed  to 
be  closed  at  nine  o'clock  and  opened  at  daylight.  The  citizens  were 
compelled  to  do  police  duty  by  turns  ;  profanity  and  drunkenness  were 
inhibited  and  heavy  penalties  enforced.  If  an  Indian  was  seen  intoxica- 
ted upon  the  streets,  and  the  person  who  furnished  the  liquor  could  not 
be  detected,  the  residents  of  the  street  where  he  was  found  were  to  be 
fined,  collectively,  for  the  offense.  The  owners  of  dilapidated  buildings 
or  vacant  lots,  no  matter  what  their  pecuniary  resources,  were  com- 
pelled to  repair,  upon  notice,  or  build,  under  penalty  of  seeing  the 
property  sold  at  auction  and  the  proceeds  turned  into  the  city  treasury. 
Slaughter-houses  were  ordered  removed  to  the  East  River  side  of  the 
city,  in  the  vicinity  of  Beekman  Street,  which  was  then  a  swamp. 

Upon  the  records,  in  the  year  1678,  an  outrageous  law  is  found, 
viz. :  "That  all  Indians  who  should  come  to,  or  be  brought  into,  the 
province  at  any  time  during  the  succeeding  six  months,  should  be  sold 
as  slaves  for  the  benefit  of  the  Government." 

The  slave  trade  had  long  been  an  established  fact,  and  there  were 
few  residents  that  did  not  own  from  one  to  a  dozen  negroes,  who  were 
made  the  subjects  of  special  laws,  restricted  in  privileges  and  confined, 
after  certain  hours  of  the  day,  within  their  quarters,  from  which  none 
could  go  without  passes. 

It  was  the  Mayor's  prerogative  to  suggest  ordinances,  the  Alder- 
men's duty  to  pass  them,  and  the  Governor's  privilege  to  oppose  or 
abolish  them  at  will — and  he  freely  exercised  his  power  at  all  times  and 
upon  all  subjects.  He  remembered  Captain  Manning,  the  subordinate 
officer  of  the  fort,  who  surrendered  to  the  Dutch,  and  ordered  him 
arrested  and  tried  by  court-martial  for  cowardice  and  treachery.     He 


The    Pity    of    New    Yo  p^k  .  43 

was  convicted,  but,  owiui;-  to  his  inllucncc  at  court,  his  hfc  was  spared 
and  he  was  sentenced  to  haxc  his  swortl  l)roi<en  o\c;r  his  head  in  front 
of  the  City  I  lall,  and  he  forever  prohibited  from  holding  any  office  of 
honor  or  i)rofk  under  His  Majest)-.  Governor  Lovelace,  his  superior 
officer,  was  also  reprimanded  by  the  English  Government,  and  his 
estate  ordered  confiscated  for  the  use  of  the  Duke  of  York. 

Andros  had  t\rannized  ovc;r  his  subjects  for  several  years,  but 
Time's  revenges  were  not  far  distant.  The  ])ro[)rietors  of  the  Jersey 
provinces  forwarded  to  the  Duke  of  York  such  a  series  of  complaints 
against  his  usurpations  that  he  was  temporarily  suspended  and  called 
to  England  for  trial.  His  accusers  did  not  dare  appear  against  him  and 
the  complaint  was  dismissed.  Very  soon  thereafter,  in  obedience  to 
numerous  petitions  from  the  people,  he  was  recalled,  and  Colonel 
Thomas  Dongan  Avas  appointed  to  succeed  him,  in  16S3. 

Governor  Donovan  was  the  first  Roman  Catholic  who  had  ever  hekl 
any  prominent  position  here,  and  the  people  were  at  first  suspicious  of, 
or  prejudiced  against,  him,  because  of  his  religious  views.  There  were 
but  few  Catholics  in  the  city  at  this  time.  His  urbanity,  integrity  and 
discretion  soon  conquered  the  people  and  he  proved  one  of  the  best 
and  most  popular  of  the  royal  Governors.  His  first  act  was  to  issue  a 
call  for  a  General  Assembly  of  the  people,  that  he  might  learn  their 
views  and  wants. 

In  October,  1683,  the  first  assembly  convened,  consisting  of  the 
Governor,  ten  councilors  and  seventeen  representatives  elected  by  the 
people.  This  was  the  foundation  of  the  "home  rule"  policy,  and  the 
people  were  delighted  with  the  innovation,  but  it  proved  a  source  of 
conflict  and  bitter  contention  with  the  royal  Governors  for  a  long  time 
afterward.  The  Assembly  distinguished  itself  by  passing,  as  its  first 
act,  a  bill  entitled  "  A  Charter  of  Liberties,"  w^hich  vested  supreme 
and  permanent  legislative  power  in  the  Governor,  council  and  the 
people  ;  guaranteeing  to  every  freeholder  and  freeman  the  right  to 
vote  for  representatives  ;  that  no  man  should  be  tried  for  any  offense 
except  by  a  jury  of  his  peers,  composed  of  twelve  in  number  ;  that  no 
tax  should  be  assessed  or  imposed  upon  any  pretense,  except  by  direc- 
tion of  the  Assembly  ;  that  no  standing  armies  should  be  kept  among 
the  inhabitants  against  their  will ;  that  martial  law  should  not  exist ;  that 
the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  should  be  recognized  and  upheld,  and  that 
no  person  whatsoever  should  be  criticised  or  questioned  for  any  differ- 
ence of  opinion  in  matters  of  religion.  Regular  periods  for  meetings 
of  the  Assembly  were  prescribed,  and  all  bills  passed  by  this  body 
were  to  be  submitted  to  the  Governor  for  approval  and  were  subject  to 
repeal  by  the  same  power  that  created  them,  with  the  consent  of  the 


44  TheCityofNewVo  r^k  . 

Duke  of  York.  Excepting  the  latter  clause,  this  was  a  model  form  for 
a  free  Government,  and  its  striking  similarity  to  our  present  mode  will 
be  noticed.  Sunday  laws  were  enacted,  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors 
by  tavern-keepers  was  prohibited,  except  to  travelers  ;  children,  cows 
and  pigs  were  forbidden  the  freedom  of  the  public  streets,  which  were 
ordered  to  be  graded  and  kept  clean  ;  sidewalks  were  provided,  and  the 
city  was  divided  into  six  wards,  the  inhabitants  of  each  being  permit- 
ted to  elect  one  Alderman  —  a  title  of  office  which  then  may  have  pos- 
sessed an  honorable  significance,  but  in  these  latter  days  has  become 
almost  a  by-word  and  a  reproach  to  most  of  its  possessors.  The  word 
"  Boodler,  "  in  our  modern  vernacular,  has  become  an  equivalent  or 
synonym  for  the  ancient  and  honorable  title  of  Alderman.  It  is  still  a 
position  to  which  the  most  pronounced  plebeian  may  aspire,  relying 
mainly  for  success  upon  his  ability  or  capacity  to  outvie  his  competitor 
in  being  the  most  lavish  promiser,  if  not  dispenser,  of  intoxicating  bev- 
erages and  public  patronage. 

The  Dongan  Charter,  granted  to  this  city  in  1686,  forms  the  nucleus 
of  the  municipal  rights  or  privileges  which  we  enjoy  to-day. 

Indian  affairs,  as  usual,  introduced  themselves  upon  the  attention  of 
Governor  Dongan  and  caused  him  much  solicitude.  The  Iroquois  tribe, 
in  the  north,  had  fancied  themselves  injured  and  insulted  by  former 
Governors  and  were  frequently  aggressing  upon  the  English  out-settle- 
ments, which  occasioned  continued  anxiety  and  complaint.  The  Gov- 
ernor finally  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  with  them,  at  Albany,  which 
was  faithfully  observed  during  the  remainder  of  his  administration. 

The  red  man  was  tractable  and  reasonable  in  those  days,  but  the 
white  man  was  not.  Governor  Dongan  could  pacify  the  savage  tribes, 
but  to  harmonize  the  discordant  religious  elements  among  the  whites 
was  a  far  more  difficult  task,  and  his  best  enercjies  in  this  direction 
only  resulted  in  his  recall.  The  citizens  were  mostly  of  the  Protestant 
faith,  and,  in  those  days  of  bigotry  and  prejudices,  were  greatly  embit- 
tered against  the  Roman  Catholics.  They  had  come  here  to  escape 
religious  intolerances  and  rituals,  many  of  them  being  Huguenots,  Wal- 
denses,  etc.  Governor  Dongan,  though  a  Catholic,  was  not  a  zealot. 
His  King  was  both,  and  an  avowed  enemy  to  Protestantism,  declaring 
his  purpose  to  populate  the  whole  country  with  persons  of  his  religious 
views.  Governor  Dongan  disapproved  of  the  Duke's  policy,  made 
several  appointments  of  Protestants  to  his  council  which  incensed  the 
Duke  and  led  to  his  immediate  recall.  Sir  Edmund  Andros  had  been 
previously  appointed  Royal  Governor  for  New  England  and  New 
York,  the  Duke  of  York  having  succeeded  to  the  throne  in  i685, 
making  this  a  royal  province  and  placing  it  upon  the  same  conditions 


The     City     of     ]^ew    Y©  p^k 


45 


as  other  British  provinces.  To  (Governor  Anch-os'  secretary,  I'Vancis 
Nicholson,  Governor  Dongan  surrendered  his  office;  in  AuL^iist,  168S. 

A  few  months  later  the  citizens  of  the  provinces  were  informed  of 
excitino-  events  which  were  occurrimj^  in  England,  and  upon  the  result 
of  which,  for  weal  or  woe,  depended  their  future  destinies.  King  James' 
religious  intolerance  and  reckless  determination  to  catholicize  his 
whole  dominicMi,  had  produced  a  deep  feeling  of  revulsion  among  his 
Protestant  subjects  everywhere,  which  culminated  in  a  revolution 
against  his  authority  and  resulted  in  his  abdication  and  precipitate  flight 
to  T'rance.  His  successor  was  Mary,  who  had  married  William,  Prince 
of  Orange,  then  residing  in  Germany.  Both  were  Protestants  and 
were  successfully  installed  upon  the  throne  of  England.  This  was 
joyful  news  to  the  colonists  here,  so  jo\'ful  in  fact  that  the  Bos- 
tonians,  in  their  delirium  of  joy,  seized  Sir  Edmund  Andros  and 
shipped  him  to  England  at  their  own  expense,  and  established  a  local 
government  for  themselves.  In  New  York  there  was  a  division  of 
sentiment,  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  two  parties,  one  sustain- 
ing the  accession  of  William  and  Mary,  the  other  contending  for  the 
colonial  government,  the  former  party  being  in  the  majority. 

The  excitement  produced  by  such  stirring  events  and  the  uncer- 
tainties as  to  the  result  of  these  dissentions  and  party  divisions  almost 
paralyzed  business  for  many  months.  The  party  of  the  minority  were 
led  by  some  of  the  most  wealthy  and  determined  citizens,  headed  by 
the  Mayor,  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt,  Nicholas  Bayard,  Colonel  of  the 
city  militia  and  some  others,  all  of  whom  were  members  of  the  council 
under  the  former  Governor,  Dongan.  Governor  Nicholson,  while 
openly  professing  fealty  to  the  William  and  Mary  Government,  was 
secretly  suspected  of  treachery,  and  consequent  loyalty  to  the  deposed 
King.  The  militia  at  this  time  consisted  of  five  companies,  and  one 
Jacob  Leisler  was  senior  captain.  Leisler  was  patriotic,  public-spirited, 
one  of  the  oldest  of  the  Dutch  merchants  and  one  among  the 
wealthiest  individuals  in  the  city.  He  held  also  the  appointment  of 
Commissioner  of  Admiralty  from  Governor  Dongan.  He  became,  by 
marriage,  the  uncle  of  Mayor  Van  Cortlandt  and  Nicholas  Bayard,  two 
of  the  most  prominent  persons,  who  were  subsequently  instrumental  in 
bringing  him  to  execution  upon  the  scaffold. 

Upon  June  2,  16S9,  and  during  the  period  of  uncertainty  as  to 
who  should  exercise  legitimate  authority  here,  Jacob  Leisler  issued  a 
manifesto  proclaiming  himself  military  dictator,  and,  assuming  supreme 
command  of  the  militia,  marched  them  into  the  fort  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  Government,  disclaiming  any  revolutionary  intentions  and 
proposing  only  to  retain  possession  until  the  Government  of  William 


46 


The    City    of    New    Vo f^k , 


and  Mary  should  announce  his  successor.  A  "Committee  of  Safety'" 
was  also  organized,  who  ordered  a  municipal  election,  resulting  in  the 
choice  of  Leisler's  political  friends  for  all  the  offices.  These  "  acts  of 
usurpation,"  as  they  were  termed  by  the  opposite  party,  embittered  the 
minority  intensely,  and  Colonel  Bayard,  in  October,  after  consultation 
with  the  deposed  magistrate,  Mayor  Van  Cortlandt,  is'sued  orders  from 
Albany,  where  the  deposed  members  of  the  City  Government  had  re- 
moved for  personal  safety,  to  desist  from  obeying  or  enforcing  any  of 
Leisler's  commands,  at  least  until  advices  should  be  received  from  the 
Government  of  England.  This  enraged  Leisler,  who  dispatched  an 
armed  force  to  Albany,  when  the  city  was  captured  by  them  and  the 
residents  fled  for  refuge  among  the  New  Englanders,  leaving  their 
property  to  the  mercy  of  Leisler's  forces,  by  whom  it  was  declared  for- 
feited to  Leisler  and  the  Government  of  William  and  Mary. 

In  December,  1689,  Leisler  proclaimed  himself  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor and  appointed  a  council  of  eight  persons  to  aid  him  in  administer- 
ing the  laws.  Van  Cortlandt  and  Bayard  had  returned  clandestinely  to- 
their  homes,  and  Leisler,  hearing  of  the  fact,  arrested  both  and  called 
a  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  in  January,  1690,  to  try  them  for  treason. 
Bayard  pleaded  penitence  and  promised  submission  to  authority,  as 
did  the  others,  but  they  were  confined  in  prison  for  over  a  year,  or 
until  the  arrival  of  another  Governor  from  England. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1690  the  English  Government  seemed 
to  realize  more  definitely  the  chaotic  condition  of  matters  here,  when 
Colonel  Henry  Slaughter  was  commissioned  Royal  Governor  for  New 
York  and  sailed  for  this  port  with  a  fleet  of  several  ships,  containing 
troops  and  provisions.  The  vessels  became  separated  during  a 
stormy  passage  and  the  first  to  arrive  was  Major  Richard  Ingoldsby, 
who  was  second  in  command.  The  commissions  and  papers  were  with 
Colonel  Slaughter,  and  Ingoldsby  could  show  no  authority,  though  he 
made  a  demand  upon  Leisler,  in  the  name  of  Governor  Slaughter  and 
the  King  and  Queen  of  England,  for  the  possession  of  the  Govern- 
ment. Leisler  could  not  consistently  accede  to  so  informal  a  request, 
yet  gave  Ingoldsby  permission  to  quarter  his  troops  in  the  town,  but 
not  in  the  fort.  Ingoldsby  resented  what  seemed  to  him  to  be  an  in- 
sult to  the  Crown  and  issued  a  proclamation  assuming  authority,  calling 
upon  all  good  citizens  to  sustain  him  in  preserving  order  and  peace, 
while  Leisler  issued  a  counter  manifesto  declaring  also  for  peace  and 
order,  professing  his  willingness  to  retire  as  soon  as  Slaughter  should 
appear  with  the  official  documents.  But  Slaughter  was  still  "sailing 
out  into  the  west,"  and  it  was  nearly  six  weeks  before  his  vessel  ap- 
peared in  the  harbor.     Those  were  perilous  weeks  for  the  province 


The    City    of    Nev/    Yo  p^k  .  47 

and  die  pcc)i)lc,  who  wcvc.  now  upon  tlu;  verge  of  civil  war  in  conse- 
quence of  the  disputes  anil  threats  1))-  the  contesting  authorities  and 
their  friends  for  the  possession  of  the  Government. 

About  the  middle  of  March,  Slaughter  arrived,  and  upon  being 
made  acc^uaintcd,  by  Ingoldsby,  with  the  state  of  facts,  ordered  him 
to  take  possession  of  the  fort  by  force,  if  his  demand  was  refused. 
Slaughter  appointetl  a  cinmcil  at  once  and  issued  a  proclamation  from 
the  City  Hall,  as  Governor  of  the  Province,  by  authority  of  the  King 
and  Queen  of  England.  Leisler,  after  a  day's  hesitation  and  corre- 
spondence, tendered  possession  of  the  fort,  when  he,  with  his  son-in-law 
and  secretary,  Milborne,  and  advisors  were  arrested  and  held  upon 
charges  of  treason.  Bayard  and  Nicholls  were  released  and  reinstated 
as  officers  and  members  of  the  Governor's  Council. 

Leisler  and  his  party  w^ere  tried  about  two  wrecks  afterward  in  the 
Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  which  jurisdiction  they  denied,  but  were 
pronounced  guilty  and  sentenced  to  death.  This  announcement  raised 
a  storm  of  indignation  among  the  Leisler  party  throughout  the  country. 
Petitions  for  their  release  came  pouring  in  upon  all  sides,  and  Slaughter, 
a  dissipated,  unprincipled  man,  agreed  to  submit  their  cases  to  the 
Crown,  w'ith  a  recommendation  for  mercy,  but  changed  his  mind,  and 
upon  May  16  Leisler  and  his  son-in-law,  Jacob  Milborne,  w^ere  escorted 
through  a  terrific  storm  of  rain  to  the  City  Hall  park,  where  they  were 
executed.     Upon  the  gallow^s  Leisler  made  a  speech  as  follows  : 

The  great,  wise  and  omnipotent  Creator  and  Ruler  of  all  things  visible  and  invisible, 
who  from  the  time  of  our  first  coming  ashore  in  this  vale  of  misery,  affliction  and  tears 
hath  to  this  present  moment  protected  us,  be  magnified,  praised  and  glorified  forever. 
Amen. 

Gentlemen  and  Brethren  !  I  hope,  through  the  grace  and  fear  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that 
we  are  not  insensible  to  our  dying  condition,  but  through  the  merit  of  Him  who  is  will- 
ing and  able  to  save  our  souls,  we  may  become  precious  in  the  eyes  of  God,  and  live 
forever  in  His  kingdom  when  time  shall  be  no  more. 

He  then  made  an  extended  speech  in  explanation  of  the  position 
he  had  assumed,  professed  loyalty  to  the  Government,  and  asserted 
that  he  had  acted  throughout  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Protestant 
religion  which  he  espoused  and  for  which  he  died. 

Milborne,  after  bidding  his  father-in-law  adieu,  turned  to  Robert 
Livingston,  who  was  standing  beside  him,  and  said :  "  You  have 
brought  about  my  death,  but  before  God's  tribunal  I  will  implead  you 
for  the  same."  Again  turning  to  his  father-in-law,  he  said  :  "  We  are 
thoroughly  wet  with  rain,  but  will  shortly  be  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Spirit."  Then  both,  addressing  the  executioner,  said :  "  We  are 
ready." 


48  ThePityofNewVo  r^k  . 

Their  property  had  been  declared  forever  confiscated  to  the  British 
Government,  but  four  years  afterward  the  Parhament  of  Great  Britain 
reversed  the  act  of  attainder  and  restored  the  property  to  Leisler's  son. 

The  other  prisoners  were  pardoned  by  Governor  Slaughter  shortly 
afterward.  His  administration  of  affairs  was  unsatisfactory  and  his 
personal  conduct  justly  censurable.  On  July  23,  1691,  he  suddenly 
sickened  and  died,  as  is  alleged,  from  the  effects  of  drunkenness  and 
licentiousness.  His  remains  were  entombed  in  the  chapel  yard  of  ex- 
Governor  Stuyvesant,  near  the  present  location  of  St.  Marks  Church. 
His  successor,  who  administered  the  affairs  of  the  province  but  a  few 
months,  was  Major  Ingoldsby,  whose  conflict  with  Leisler  has  been 
previously  mentioned. 

In  August,  1692,  Colonel  Benjamin  Fletcher  was  duly  commissioned 
Governor,  and  also  successor  to  William  Penn  in  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  consequence  of  some  rumors  having  been  communi- 
cated to  the  Crown  respecting  Penn's  loyalty  or  devotion.  Governor 
Fletcher  soon  made  himself  a  terror  to  the  Presbyterians,  Catholics  and 
Baptists,  and  announced  as  his  pet  project  the  establishment  of  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Church  of  England  [Episcopal]  throughout  his  dominion. 

In  1693  the  first  printing  press  arrived  from  Philadelphia,  being  the 
property  of  William  Bradford,  who,  having  encountered  many  difficul- 
ties with  the  authorities  there,  came  here  to  reside.  He  was  employed 
to  publish  the  corporation  laws,  and  shortly  afterward  established  a 
weekly  newspaper,  which  was  printed  on  a  sheet  seven  by  twelve 
inches  and  proved  a  success. 

The  second  assembly  granted  Governor  Fletcher  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  to  further  his  project  for  extending  the  influence  of  the 
English  Church,  and  several  edifices  were  constructed  in  different  parts 
of  the  country. 

In  1696,  under  the  provisions  of  that  act,  Trinity  Church  was  erected 
and  opened  for  worship  upon  February  6,  1697,  by  the  Rev.  William 
Vesey.  It  was  then  a  small  square  building,  with  an  unusually  tall 
spire.  In  1703  a  cemetery  was  donated  by  the  corporation,  condi- 
tioned that  it  should  be  forever  kept  for  such  purposes. 

In  1703  the  "  King's  Farm"  was  ceded  to  the  Trinity  Church  Cor- 
poration, further  reference  to  which  may  be  found  in  the  map  accom- 
panying this  work.  This  church  was  enlarged  in  1735,  and  again  in 
1737,  to  accommodate  the  increasing  membership.  Thus  it  remained 
until  1776,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  great  conflagration  which  laid 
waste  the  greater  part  of  the  city.  It  was  rebuilt  in  1788  and  conse- 
crated by  Bishop  Provost  in  179 1.  In  1839  it  was  demolished  to  make 
room  for  the  present  beautiful  structure,  which  was  opened  for  public 
service  in  1841. 


The    City    of    New    Yo  f^k 


4!> 


The  history,  in  detail,  of  the  ^governmental  administration  of  affairs 
of  the  city  of  New  York  during  the  first  one  hundred  years  presents 
a  pitiful  record  of  inefficiencies,  inconsistencies,  extortions  and  corrup- 
tions that  seem  almost  incredible  of  belief.  This  was  a  fruitful  field  for 
uni)rincipled  speculators,  foreign  and  domestic,  and  of  rapacious  vil- 
lians,  private  and  official.  It  was  the  scene  of  constant  and  intermina- 
ble disputes,  disorders,  of  acts  of  lawlessness,  of  brutalities  and  horrors 
of  every  conceivable  description,  such  as  had  never  before  fallen  to  the 
lot  of  any  other  people  upon  this  hemisphere  to  witness  and  endure, 
and  the  end  was  not  yet. 

The  whole  coast  was  now  infested  with  pirates,  who  were  capturing 
ships  and  burning  them,  thus  threatening  destruction  to  their  com- 
merce, which  was  their  principal  means  of  sustenance.  Petitions,  pro- 
tests and  entreaties  availed  nothing  ;  the  Government  officials  were 
suspected  of  being  parties  to,  or  participants  of,  the  spoils,  even  to  the 
Governor,  who  was  at  last  recalled. 

In  1695  Lord  Bellamont  was  appointed,  but  did  not  assume  author- 
ity until  nearly  three  years  afterward,  during  which  time  piracy  reigned 
supreme  upon  the  ocean,  and  anarchy  and  poverty  again  invaded  the 
city.  When  he  did  arrive,  the  British  Government  was  implored  to 
furnish  a  naval  force  to  scour  the  seas  and  exterminate  piracy,  but  a 
war  with  France  was  then  in  progress  and  all  its  vessels  were  needed  for 
the  coast  defense  of  England.  Governor  Bellamont  finally  organized  a 
stock  company  which  fitted  out  a  privateering  expedition,  consisting  of 
five  ships,  carrying  sixty  men  and  thirty  guns,  entrusting  the  command 
to  one  Captain  William  Kidd,  who  had  been  recommended  by  some  of 
the  most  eminent  citizens,  Robert  Livingston  among  others.  Kidd 
had  a  wife  and  child,  resided  in  Liberty  Street,  and  was  regarded  as 
capable  and  conscientious.  His  history  is  well  known,  having  soon 
turned  pirate  himself  and  for  two  years  continued  upon  a  course  of 
plunders  and  outrages  that  made  all  former  offenders  appear  innocent 
by  comparison.  When  it  became  apparent  that  there  were  few  ships 
left  to  burn  and  plunder,  he  steered  homeward,  landing  on  Gardiner's 
Island,  where  he  is  alleged  to  have  buried  most  of  his  treasure,  and 
proceeded  to  Boston,  when  he  engaged  in  business  under  an  assumed 
name,  leaving  his  wife  and  child  still  in  New  York.  He  was  at  last 
discovered,  arrested,  sent  to  England  for  trial,  found  guilty,  and  hung 
upon  May  12,  1701.  His  wife  and  daughter  remained  here  in  seclu- 
sion for  many  years  afterward. 

Those  were  days  when  suspicion  was  deemed  the  equivalent  of 
guilt.  The  spirit  of  Jacob  Leisler  still  lived,  and  there  were  two  par- 
ties—  the  Leisler  and  Anti-Leisler  —  as  there  had  been  since  the  day  of 


50  TheCityofNewVo  r^k  . 

his  surrender  of  the  fort.  Governor  Fletcher  had  chosen  to  be  Anti- 
Leisler.  It  was  Governor  Bellamont's  poHcy  to  join  the  Leislerites. 
His  opponents  declared  that  the  real  purposes  of  Kidd  were  foreknown 
to  him  and  that  he  was  a  partner  in  the  profits  of  Kidd's  captures. 
These  suspicions  were  reported  to  the  Crown,  and  Bellamont  was  suc- 
ceeded by  another  incompetent  (Lord  Cornbury),  who  arrived  in  May, 
1702,  and  joined  the  Anti- Leislerites,  His  policy  was  narrow,  his  pur- 
poses selfish  and  his  personal  character  of  the  lowest  order. 

In  1708  Lord  Lovelace  arrived,  assumed  the  responsibilities  of 
Governor,  and  died  five  months  afterward. 

In  1 7 10  Brigadier-General  Hunter  appeared  with  a  Governor's 
commission.  He  concocted  a  plan  for  an  attack  upon  the  French  in 
Canada,  and,  after  an  extravasfant  outlav  of  material,  the  result  was 
failure,  though  many  lives  were  lost  in  the  attempt.  Governor  Hunter 
remained  a  passive  official  until  17 19,  when  his  health  failed  and  he 
returned  to  England, 

Governor  William  Burnett  succeeded  Hunter.  He  possessed  a 
measure  of  intelligence,  with  some  pretensions  to  good  manners,  which 
were  so  novel,  or  exceptional,  among  late  Governors,  that  the  people 
rallied  to  his  support,  and  for  a  time  the  business  prospects  seemed 
greatly  encouraging.  He  organized  several  companies  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  a  more  extensive  trade  with  the  Indians,  at  which  the  French 
took  some  exceptions  and  made  complaints  to  the  Government  of  En- 
gland, upon  learning  which  he  resigned,  and  John  Montgomerie  was 
appointed.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent,  was  bred  a  soldier,  was  capa- 
ble and  affable,  but  died  in  July,  1731,  when  the  duties  of  the  office 
devolved  upon  Rip  Van  Dam,  the  second  officer  of  the  Government, 
who  at  once  became  popular,  but  surrendered  to  his  duly-appointed 
successor.  Colonel  William  Cosby,  in  1732.  An  unfortunate  dispute 
arose  between  Van  Dam  and  his  successor,  concerning  the  payment  of 
the  former's  salary,  which  occasioned  much  bitterness  between  the  two 
factions.  Two  newspapers  published  at  that  time,  each  representing 
their  respective  political  constituencies,  aroused  public  sentiment  to  the 
highest  point  of  indignation,  which  threatened  for  a  time  to  disrupt  the 
Government.  Governor  Cosby  was  afterward  taken  ill,  and  died  in 
March,  1736.  The  second  officer  in  command  was  George  Clarke,  who 
promptly  assumed  the  powers  and  duties,  continuing  in  office  till  i743- 
A  negro  insurrection  occurred  during  his  administration,  to  vary  the 
monotony  of  affairs,  and  several  executions  of  negroes  took  place  upon 
a  small  island  in  Fresh  Water  Pond,  near  Centre  and  Franklin  Streets. 
Several  were  burned  at  a  stake  in  the  vicinity  of  the  "  Five  Points," 
for  concocting,  as  was  alleged,  a  conspiracy  for  the  murder  of  the  white 


The    City    of    New    Vo  p^k 


61 


residents.  At  this  time  New  York  contained  a  population  of  about  ten 
thousand,  anionic  whom  nearl)'  two  thousand  were  shi\es. 

In  September,  1743,  Admiral  George  Clinton  arrixed,  with  the 
commission  of  Governor,  to  succeed  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke.  1  le 
was  the  father  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  bore  so  conspicuous  a  part 
while  in  command  of  the  British  forces  in  this  city  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. Admiral  Clinton  brought  with  him  the;  members  of  his  family, 
announcing  his  purpose  to  remain,  and  published  a  notice  of  his  ap- 
pointment, from  the  City  Hall,  upon  the  day  of  his  arrival,  Clinton  was 
genial,  indolent  and  vain,  soon  forming  a  strong  personal  attachment 
for  Chief-Justice  DeLancey,  who  had  the  misfortune  to  be  a  leader 
of  one  of  the  politico-religious  organizations  that  was  struggling  for 
the  control  of  the  Government,  thus,  naturally,  antagonizing  all  the 
other  elements  and  factions.  When  Clinton  saw  his  mistake,  instead 
of  withdrawing  and  keeping  aloof  from  personal  entanglements,  he 
joined  another  combination,  led  by  Cadwallader  Golden,  which  in- 
censed the  DeLanceyites  to  such  an  extent  that  they  determined  to 
oppose  his  measures  in  the  General  Assembly,  and  succeeded  in  pre- 
venting the  passage  of  an  appropriation  for  continuance  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, compelling  him  at  last  to  resign,  when,  upon  September  7, 
1753,  Sir  Danvers  Osborne  arrived  to  succeed  him.  DeLancey  was 
subsequently  appointed  Lieutenant-Governor. 

The  people  accorded  Governor  Osborne  the  usual  hearty  reception, 
and  he  responded  with  the  most  extravagant  promises  and  prophesies 
for  the  future  welfare  of  the  city  and  the  inhabitants.  Again  the 
clouds  of  despondency  and  despair  seemed  about  lifting  —  hope  told 
another  flattering  tale  —  when,  upon  the  fifth  morning  following  his  ar- 
rival, the  dead  body  of  the  Governor  was  found  suspended,  by  a  hand- 
kerchief about  the  neck,  from  the  garden  wall  of  his  residence.  The 
fact  now  developed  that  his  mind  had  become  unfavorably  affected  in 
consequence  of  the  loss  of  his  wife,  a  few  months  previously,  and  he  had 
accepted  the  position  by  advice  of  friends,  w^ho  hoped  that  the  change 
of  scene  and  occupation  would  aid  in  his  restoration  to  mental  and 
physical  strength. 


o — a — o 


*  y cw  •  ^OP-^ •  vfiify .   ^jpiQ-p^i^  '  fi^G •  l\GV0luIi6r).  -» 


1753     TO     1776. 


■■^a:^ 


fMlrf  ^  ■^  idiocrasies  and  inconsistencies  of  human  nature,  and  the 
s^ap  uncertainty  and  mutability  of  human  purposes  and  actions,  were 
■^^^  never  more  fully  exemplified,  than  when  the  two  prominent  politi- 
cal factions  suddenly  and  completely  changed  front  upon  every  issue 
that  had  thitherto  estranged  and  divided  them.  The  Aristocratic  (or 
Royal)  party,  led  by  DeLancey,  who  now  assumed  the  reins  of  Govern- 
ment, openly  espoused  the  cause  of  Democracy,  while  the  people,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Smith,  Livingston  and  others,  took  up  the  cry  of 
the  "permanent-revenue"  scheme  for  the  royal  Governors. 

While  the  contentions  and  criminations,  incident  to  this  anomalous 
condition  of  affairs,  were  going  on  between  the  factions  in  the  Assem- 
bly, information  was  received  that  the  Canadians,  upon  the  northern 
border,  were  preparing  for  war  upon  the  Government.  DeLancey 
hastily  called  a  council  of  deputies  from  the  neighboring  provinces  to 
assemble  at  Albany  to  discuss  measures  for  safety.  The  Iroquois  tribe 
of  Indians,  always  refractory,  having  been  invited  to  participate,  were 
once  more  conciliated  by  the  usual  methods  adopted  by  the  white  man 
—  such  as  promises,  flattery,  whisky  and  trinkets. 

The  most  important  feature  of  the  conference  was  the  adoption  and 
promulgation  of  a  plan  for  a  closer  union  of  the  provinces,  to  insure 
more  harmonious  and  concerted  action  against  the  common  enemy. 
Benjamin  Franklin  first  appears  as  the  author  of  the  project,  and  while 
it  passed  by  a  considerable  majority  yet  was  never  practically  carried 
out. 

This,  the  first  suggestion  of  the  theory  of  confederated  powers,  was 
adopted  twenty  years  afterward  by  that  remarkable  organization,  the 
Confederate  Congress  ;  the  record  of  whose  councils,  in  the  main,  fur- 
nishes to  history  one  of  the  most  humiliating  chapters  of  legislative 

52 


yi 


p 


ILLIAM      pRADFORD. 


68 


inefficiency  and  imbecility;  of  petty  revensj^cs  and  discords ;  of  local  and 
pc^rsonal  hatreds  and  jealousies,  which  seem  in  singular  contrast  with 
the  unity,  wisdom,  skill  and  devotion  of  the  actual  heroes  in  the  field, 
who,  with  singleness  of  purpose,  won  the  victories,  honors  and  enduring 
glories  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolution. 

In  i/So  the  subject  of  general  education  was  agitated  through  the 
newspaper  which  William  Bradford  had  established  in  1726,  but  which, 
to  this  time,  had  been  regarded  chiefly  as  a  medium  for  advertisers  and 
a  means  of  making  public  the  corporation  orchnances.  Bradford  had 
removed  hither  from  Philadelphia  as  early  as  1693,  and  for  upward  of 
fifty  years  had  monopolized  the  printing  industry.  The  first  publication 
was  in  1694,  being  a  pamphlet  containing  the  Colonial  laws.  Subse- 
quently a  volume  of  fifty  pages  appeared,  from  an  anonymous  author, 
but  purporting  to  be  written  by  a  student  from  a  foreign  university,  and 
entitled  "  A  Letter  of  Advice  to  a  Youne  Gentleman  concerning  his 
Behaviour  and  Conversation  in  the  World,"  containing  the  imprint  of 
"  W  Bradford  Printer  to  His  Majesty  King  William,  at  the  Sign  of  the 
Bible  in  New  York  1696."  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  literary  talent 
among  his  acquaintances,  and  it  was  due  to  his  efforts  in  agitating  the 
necessity  of  the  enterprise  that  the  first  college  was  founded,  though  it 
was  not  completed  until  1757.  Bradford  died  in  1/52,  and  was  buried 
in  Trinity  church-yard,  where  a  marble  slab,  well  preserved,  still  stands, 
bearing  this  inscription  : 


Here  lies  the  body  of  Mr.  William  Bradford,  who  departed 
this  life  May  23rd,  1752,  aged  92  yrs.  He  was  born  in  Leicester- 
shire, in  Old  England,  in  1660,  and  came  over  to  America  in 
1682,  before  the  ciiy  of  Philadelphia  was  laid  out.  He  was  the 
printer  to  this  Government  for  upwards  of  fifty  years,  and  being 
quite  worn  out  with  old  age  and  labour,  he  left  this  mortal  state 
in  the  lively  hopes  of  a  blessed  immortality. 

"Reader,  reflect  how  soon  you'll  quit  this  stage. 
You'll  find  that  few  attain  to  such  an  age. 
Life's  full  of  pain  ;   lo  !    here's  a  place  of  rest. 
Prepare  to  meet  your  God,  then  you  are  blest." 


In  1754  a  public  library  was  founded,  and  in  the  next  year  the 
first  shipment  of  books  arrived  and  were  announced  for  free  circula- 
tion. Governor  DeLancey  was  one  of  the  trustees  and  made  the  first 
contribution  of  many  volumes.  In  this  year  his  son-in-law,  William 
Walton,    who  had   acquired  a  fortune  in  the  foreign  trade,  erected  a 


54 


The    French.  T  n  d  I  a  n    Wa 


magnificent  dwelling  on  Pearl  Street,  nearly  opposite  the  publication 
house  of  Messrs.  Harper  Bros.,  which  stood  until  a  few  years  ago,  when 
it  was  replaced  by  a  more  extensive  block  for  business  purposes.  It 
was  built  of  yellow  Holland  brick  and  was  famous  for  the  extravagance 
of  its  interior  furnishino-s.  Its  host  and  hostess  were  the  acknowledored 
leaders  of  fashionable  society.  During  the  Revolution  it  was  occupied 
by  Washington  at  various  times,  and  subsequently  was  the  scene  of  the 
marriage  ceremony  of  "  Citizen  "  Genet,  the  Minister  of  France,  to  the 
daughter  of  Governor  Clinton.  During  the  few  years  preceding  its 
destruction  the  lower  floors  were  occupied  as  warerooms,  and  the  upper 
part  degenerated  into  a  boarding-house  for  sailors  and  emigrants. 

In  1755  Governor  DeLancey  resigned,  and  resumed  his  former 
position  as  Chief-Justice,  Sir  Charles  Hardy  succeeding  him.  Hardy 
was  an  English  sailor  and  aspired  to  be  a  Rear- Admiral  rather  than 
Governor  of  a  royal  province,  and  in  a  few  months  his  wishes  were 
gratified,  DeLancey  again  taking  possession.  The  French  and  Indian 
war  soon  broke  out  in  the  northern  provinces,  and  England  made  nu- 
merous drafts  upon  the  colonies  for  men  and  provisions,  besides  ship- 
ping hither  several  thousand  soldiers,  who  marched  upon  the  Canadian 
borders,  and,  after  a  series  of  bloody  battles  and  some  of  the  most  in- 
human massacres,  the  English  became  victorious  and  secured  posses- 
sion of  Canada. 

In  1760  Governor  DeLancey  died  suddenly  and  Cadwallader  Colden, 
then  nearly  seventy-four  years  of  age,  succeeded  to  power.  His  in- 
firmities of  body  and  mind,  and  the  increasing  difficulties  of  the  situ- 
ation, soon  hastened  his  resignation. 

In  1 76 1  General  Robert  Moncton  arrived  with  a  Governor's  com- 
mission. George  II  had  died,  and  George  III  was  now  upon  the 
throne.  The  city  at  this  time  contained  a  population  of  about  fifteen 
thousand.  The  commerce  was  steadily  increasing,  public  and  private 
buildings  were  being  erected  in  various  localities  and  new  streets  were 
extending  northward  as  far  as  Broadway  and  Canal  Street  and  also 
along  the  Bowery,  or  main  road  to  Boston.  The  old  method  of  light- 
ing streets,  by  hanging  lanterns  from  every  seventh  house,  was  now 
abandoned  and  lamp-posts  were  set  in  the  streets  and  lighted  at  public 
cost. 

In  1763  President  Johnson,  the  first  officer  of  King's  College,  ten- 
dered his  resignation,  and  Doctor  Cooper  was  selected  in  his  stead. 
The  college  flourished  and  many  individual  donations  of  books,  maps, 
etc.,  were  added  to  its  library.  Ferries  were  now  regularly  established 
between  the  City  and  Brooklyn,  Jersey  City,  Staten  Island  and  Hobo- 
ken.     Postal  facilities  were  increased  between  Boston  and  Philadelphia, 


The     Stamp     Act, 


trips  bein<T  made  to  the  former  city  every  week  and  to  the  latter  twice 
each  week. 

In  1763  Governor  Moncton  resic^ned.and  Cadwaliader  Golden  attain 
assunic^d  the  direction  of  affairs  ;  a  task  he  doubtless  would  have  de- 
clined, could  he  have  anticipated  the  crisis  now  so  rapidly  approaching. 
The  province,  and  the  adjacent  colonists  had  grown  more  prosperous 
during  the  few  preceding  years,  until  the  fierce  Canadian  and  Indian 
wars  had  drawn  them  from  their  homes  and  employments,  and  impover- 
ished nearly  all  who  were  engaged  in  and  survived  the  struggles. 

The  result  was,  that  millions  of  acres  had  been  added  to  the  British 
dominions  at  the  fearful  loss  to  the  several  colonies  of  nearly  twenty 
thousand  men  and  at  an  expense  exceeding  six  millions  of  dollars.  The 
English  Parliament  (which  had  watched  and  pursued  them  relentlessly, 
imposing  every  conceivable  burden  in  the  form  of  legislation  and  taxa- 
tion) now  passed  a  series  of  navigation  laws,  prohibiting  trade  with 
any  other  country  and  restricted  the  carrying  of  products  exclusively  to 
British  vessels.  Not  a  yard  of  cloth,  nor  a  garment,  not  a  tool  of  any 
description  could  be  made  here,  but  the  raw  material  was  required  to 
be  exported  to  England,  where  all  manufacturing  was  done  and  the 
products  shipped  back  at  extortionate  prices  and  under  heavy  duties. 
Imposts  were  levied  and  collected  upon  luxuries  and  necessities  ;  tea, 
coffee,  sugar  and  molasses  not  being  excepted.  England's  insatiate 
demand  for  revenue  only,  was  not  alone  impoverishing  and  exhausting, 
but  exasperating  the  people  to  the  verge  of  open  revolt  against  her 
authority.  The  poorer  classes  were  hardly  able  to  procure  the  com- 
monest necessities,  while  others  evaded  in  part  the  payment  of  such 
taxes  by  declining  to  purchase  the  imported  commodities. 

In  1763  Lord  Grenville,  then  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  con- 
ceived the  design  of  raising  revenue  by  direct  taxation,  and  a  year 
afterward,  when  appointed  Prime  Minister,  he  submitted  a  draft  of  a 
bill  to  Parliament  (which  became  famous  as  the  "Stamp  Act")  pro- 
viding that  all  legal  and  commercial  documents,  newspapers,  books, 
contracts,  etc.,  were  required  to  be  executed  upon  a  specially  pre- 
pared paper,  showing  certain  water-marks  or  stamps,  which  were  to 
be  kept  and  sold  by  agents  appointed  by  the  Chancellor. 

While  the  provisions  of  this  act  were  being  discussed  in  Parliament, 
the  people  of  the  different  provinces  were  protesting  by  calling  meet- 
ings in  which  England  was  denounced,  and  acts  of  resistance  were 
fully  determined  upon.  Petitions  and  threats  were  equally  ignored  by 
the  Parliament,  and  on  March  22,  1765,  the  obnoxious  "  Stamp  Act" 
was  passed,  to  take  effect  upon  November  i ,  following. 


56  First    Colonial    Congr^ess. 

Another  proposition  was  now  under  consideration  by  Parliament^ 
viz.,  an  act  to  impress  into  military  service  ten  thousand  citizens  and 
maintain  a  standing  army  here,  ostensibly  for  defense;  all  the  expenses 
to  be  borne  by  the  colonies. 

These  were  the  crowning  acts  of  British  tyranny.  After  ninety 
years  of  English  misrule  and  oppression,  the  ultimate  limit  of  forbear- 
ance and  endurance  was  passed.  Indignation  meetings  were  held 
throughout  the  colonies  and  associations  formed  to  resist  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  "  Stamp  Act."  Copies  of  the  law,  with  representations  of 
human  skulls  and  bones  affixed,  were  circulated,  and  posted  on  many 
of  the  residences  ;  processions  were  formed  in  all  the  villages,  bearing 
banners,  inscribed:  "Resistance  to  Tyrants!"  "England's  Folly  is 
America's  Ruin!"  "The  Last  of  Outrages!"  "No  more  Taxation 
without  Representation!"  etc.  Organizations  known  as  the  "  Sons  of 
Liberty"  were  recruited  secretly,  and  drilled  nightly  in  the  manual  of 
arms,  in  all  the  middle  and  eastern  colonies,  and  were  to  act  in  concert 
when  the  time  for  actual  resistance  should  be  decided  upon. 

The  first  flash  of  indignation  that  had  swept  over  the  colonies  was 
succeeded  by  a  calm  and  period  of  gloom  ;  but  it  was  the  precursor  of 
the  tempest.  During  the  lull,  it  was  determined  to  revive  the  project 
of  Franklin,  for  a  "  Confederation  of  the  Colonies,"  with  a  view  to 
united  action  in  whatsoever  course  should  ultimately  be  determined 
upon,  and  meetings  of  the  assemblies  were  called,  which  provided  for  a 
Congress  of  Delegates  from  the  various  colonies,  to  meet  in  New 
York  on  October  7,  1765,  or  three  weeks  prior  to  the  time  when  the 
Stamp  Act  should  take  effect. 

This,  the  first  Colonial  Congress,  assembled  upon  the  day  appointed, 
and  twenty-eight  delegates  reported  from  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  South  Carolina,  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island.  The  assemblies  of  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina  were  unrepresented,  in  consequence  of  their  adjournment  be- 
fore the  adoption  of  the  plan  ;  but  they  were  in  sympathy  with  the 
others.  The  delegates  from  New  York  were  Philip  Li\ingston,  Robert 
Livingston,  William  Bayard,  Leonard  Lispenard  and  John  Cruger. 

Prior  to  any  definite  action  by  this  assemblage,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  wait  upon  Governor  Colden  and  urge  his  intercession 
with  the  British  Government ;  but  he  repulsed  them  with  the  remark 
that  if  they  did  not  disperse,  arrest  and  execution  might  follow.  He 
then  gave  orders  to  strengthen  the  fort  and  prepare  it  for  the  reception 
of  the  paper  and  stamps,  and  for  the  protection  of  the  British  stamp 
agents,  who  were  then  coming  to  the  provinces. 


First    Stand    for    Libe r^t y . 


67 


Compress  ignored  the  threats  of  the  "  Royal  01<1  T'ossil,"  as  he  was 
termed,  and  commenced  deHberations.  Timothy  Ruggles,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, presided.  The  session  continued  three  weeks.  A  declaration 
of  rights  and  principles  was  promulgated.  The  long  series  of  discrim- 
inations, oppressions  and  crimes  that  had  been  pcrj^etrated  upon  the 
colonies  were  enumerated  in  justification  of  their  action,  and  the  deter- 
mination was  formed  and  enunciated  that,  unless  the  Stamp  Act  was 
repealed,  resistance  to  law  and  British  authority  was  inevitable.  An 
address  to  the  King  and  a  petition  to  Parliament  were  prepared  and 
forwarded  to  England. 

On  October  23,  while  the  Congress  was  in  session,  the  ship  bringing 
the  papers  and  stamps  arrived.  The  excitement  and  indignation  was 
intense ;  several  riots  occurred,  and  Governor  Golden  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  call  out  the  military  forces.  The  captain  feared  to  land  his 
cargo,  which  was  subsequently  transferred  to  a  British  man-of-war  in 
the  harbor,  to  await  the  announcement  or  appearance  of  the  revenue 
agents,  who  were  expected  to  put  the  law  into  operation,  but,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  alarming  condition  of  affairs,  were  conspicuously 
absent. 

Upon  October  31,  the  day  preceding  the  date  upon  which  the  law 
'was  to  be  enforced,  the  leading  newspaper,  "The  New  York  Gazette," 
appeared  in  mourning,  with  appropriate  display  headlines,  announcing 
"The  Death  of  Liberty."  The  same  evening  a  mass  meeting  of  the 
importers  and  retailers  assembled  at  Burn's  Coffee-House,  numbering 
about  three  hundred,  and  passed  and  signed  resolutions  to  the  effect 
that  they  would  "  import  no  more  goods,"  would  countermand  all  out- 
standing orders,  and  the  retailers  resolved  that  they  would  offer  no 
more  of  England's  products  for  sale,  under  any  conditions,  until  the 
Stamp  Act  should  be  repealed.  A  committee  of  merchants  was  also 
named  to  correspond  and  confer  with  the  importers  and  dealers  in  the 
adjoining  colonies  for  the  same  purposes. 

This  was  opposition  in  earnest ;  of  a  character  so  practical  and  vital 
that  it  could  not  longer  be  ignored  by  England,  as  had  been  the  peti- 
tions, prayers  and  pleadings  of  her  suffering  colonists  during  the  pre- 
ceding century. 

Thus  to  New  York  men  and  New  York  merchants  belongs  the 
honor  of  taking  the  first  practical,  decisive  steps  in  the  cause  of  liberty, 
at  the  peril  of  utter  sacrifice  of  all  their  personal  and  commercial  in- 
terests. 

A  few  hours  previous  to  the  meeting  at  the  coffee-house.  Governor 
Golden,  who  was  nervous,  excitable  and  anxious,  summoned  sufficient 
courage  to  order  the  military  to  proceed  to  the  man-of-war,  and  remove 


58  P  E  R^i  LOUS     Days. 

the  stamps  to  the  fort,  and  double  the  guard  within  and  without  the 
enclosure.  During  the  night  the  city  was  placarded  with  posters,  of 
various  colors,  by  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  warning  citizens  not  to  purchase 
or  use  any  paper  bearing  a  British  stamp. 

The  morning  of  November  i  dawned  ;  the  people  closed  their 
places  of  business  and  collected  in  squads  upon  the  streets  to  discuss 
measures  for  future  action.  During  the  day  several  riots  occurred  be- 
tween the  citizens  and  the  military  forces,  commanded  by  General 
Gage,  who  hesitated  to  act  decisively.  A  conference  with  Governor 
Golden  resulted  in  massing  all  the  forces  then  in  the  city  about  the 
fort,  fearing  that  an  attack  would  be  made  upon  it  during  the  night. 
Soon  after  sunset,  two  organizations  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  numbering 
about  one  thousand,  formed  upon  the  common  ;  where  the  Post-Office 
now  stands,  and,  armed  with  guns,  clubs  and  stones,  marched  down 
Broadway  to  Wall  Street,  where  they  were  met  by  the  old  Governor ; 
accompanied  by  some  members  of  his  council,  and  ordered  to  disperse. 
At  the  close  of  the  Governor's  speech,  the  order  "  Forward,  March  !  " 
was  given,  and  the  crowd,  now  numbering  several  thousand,  passed  down 
the  street  to  the  palisades,  surrounding  Bowling  Green,  which  they  tore 
up  and  made  into  bonfires,  when  they  proceeded  to  the  fort  gate  and 
knocked  for  admission.  The  military  were  asssembled  with  arms  upon 
the  parapet,  and  the  loaded  guns  of  the  fort  were  now  trained  upon 
the  crowd.  General  Gage,  however,  feared  to  give  the  command  to 
fire  upon  them,  knowing  that  at  the  first  volley  they  would  demolish  the 
structure.  A  member  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  addressed  the  authorities, 
giving  them  twenty-four  hours  time  to  remove  or  destroy  the  stamps. 
The  crowd  then  marched  back  to  the  common,  where  they  erected  a 
gallows  and  suspended  therefrom  an  effigy  of  the  old  Governor,  who, 
fearing  his  life  was  in  jeopardy,  had  removed,  with  the  members  of  his 
council,  to  quarters  within  the  fort.  The  second  of  November  was  a 
gloomy  one  for  the  officials  —  night  was  approaching  and  the  excited 
citizens  were  expected  at  the  fort,  to  learn  their  decisiori  concerning 
the  hated  stamps.  At  six  o'clock,  while  the  Sons  of  Liberty  were  form- 
ing on  the  common,  a  messenger  arrived  from  the  Governor,  announcing 
his  withdrawal  from  office  and  asking  that  matters  might  remain  in 
s^a^u  quo  until  further  advices  should  arrive  from  England.  The  Sons 
of  Liberty  were  jubilant  at  this  unexpected  action  of  the  Governor, 
many  proposing  to  take  immediate  advantage  of  the  situation,  by  mov- 
ing upon  the  fort  that  night,  to  capture  its  contents,  or  to  destroy  it 
completely,  in  the  event  of  resistance  being  offered  to  a  demand  for  its 
surrender.     It  was  finally  resolved  to  defer  further  action  until  the  fol- 


The    Stamps    Surr^en  defied.  69 

lowing  night.     Upon  the  morning  of  the  4th,  the  official  newspaper 
contained  the  following  notice  : 

The  Governor  has  nolilicd  Jiuli^c  T-ivinp:ston,  the  Mayor,  Mr.  Beverly  Robinson  and 
Mr.  John  Stevens,  tliis  morning,  tiiat  lie  wuuKl  not  issue  or  suffer  to  be  issued  any  of  the 
stamps  in>\\'  in  Fort  George. 

In  another  column  appeared  the  following  : 

The  freemen,  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  this  city,  if  satisfied  that  the  stamps  are 
not  to  be  issued,  are  ilctermincnl  to  keep  the  peace  of  the  city  at  all  events,  unless  or  un- 
til they  may  have  other  or  further  cause  for  complaint. 

The  people  were  not  satisfied  with  these  expedients.  Nothing  less 
than  the  destruction  of  the  stamps  or  their  surrender  would  appease 
them,  and  at  evening  they  again  assembled  upon  the  common,  and, 
marching  down  to  the  fort,  demanded  possession  of  the  paper  and 
stamps.  Governor  Golden  in  the  meantime  had  been  urging  Gaptain 
Kennedy,  of  the  British  man-of-war,  to  receive  them  on  board  his  ves- 
sel, fearing  the  fort  and  its  garrison  were  insufficient  to  protect  them 
from  capture  or  destruction.  The  Mayor  and  members  of  the  corpora- 
tion then  interceded  in  behalf  of  the  people  and  asked  that  the  docu- 
ments be  delivered  to  the  Gity  Government  for  safe  keeping,  until 
orders  should  be  received  for  their  return  to  England.  This  was  ac- 
ceded to,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  multitude,  who  soon  quietly  dispersed. 
The  order  was  as  follows : 

Fort  George,   November  5,    1765. 
3I}\  3Iayor  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Corporation  : 

In  consequence  of  your  earnest  request  and  engaging,  to  make  good  all  such  sums  as 
might  be  lost  by  the  destruction  of  the  stamps  sent  over  for  the  use  of  this  province,  and 
in  consequence  of  the  unanimous  advice  of  his  Majesty's  council  and  the  concurrence 
of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  King's  forces,  and  to  prevent  the  effusion  of  blood  and 
the  calamities  of  a  civil  war,  which  might  ensue  from  my  withholding  them  from  you,  I 
now  deliver  to  you  the  packages  of  stamped  paper  and  parchment,  deposited  in  my 
hands  in  this  his  Majesty's  fort,  and  I  doubt  not  that  you  will  take  charge  of  the  same 
and  care  for  them,  conformably  to  your  agreement  with  me. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  with  great  regard,  your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

Cadwallader  Colden. 

A  receipt  for  the  packages  was  given,  signed  by  Mayor  John  Gruger 
and  others  representing  the  corporation. 

Thus  the  Stamp  Act  met  with  the  first  rebuff,  but  the  Sons  of 
Liberty  did  not  relax  their  vigilance,  and  shortly  discovered  that 
another  ship  had  arrived  with  a  quantity  of  the  "vile  stuff"  on  board, 
and  a  live  stamp  distributor  in  the  person  of  one  DeLancey,  Jr.     They 


60  The     Stamp      Act     Repealed. 

boarded  the  vessel,  seized  the  packages  and  conveyed  them  to  the  city 
authorities,  who  deposited  them  with  the  first  installment.  DeLancey 
was  requested  to  resign  his  office,  which  he  did,  disclaiming  any  pre- 
vious knowledge  of  the  bitter  public  sentiment  that  this  enactment 
had  produced.  Subsequently,  two  other  official  stamp  distributors 
were  found,  who  were  compelled  to  resign  or  remove  from  the  city. 

With  DeLancey  came  Colden's  successor,  Sir  Henry  Moore,  whose 
first  public  declaration  was,  that  he  would  make  no  efforts  to  enforce 
the  Stampt  Act  so  long  as  he  remained  —  a  promise  which  was  faith- 
fully observed,  and  made  him  always  popular  among  the  people. 

Importations  of  manufactured  products  had  nearly  ceased,  the 
people  firmly  resolving  that  they  would  purchase  nothing  but  do- 
mestic manufactures.  For  tea  and  coffee  they  substituted  decoctions 
of  sassafras  bark  and  wintergreen  leaves  ;  silk  dresses  disappeared,  and 
the  spinning-wheels  and  looms  furnished  linsey-woolseys  and  cloths  of 
domestic  manufacture.  The  warehouses  were  stocked  with  sugar, 
which  was  in  transit  before  the  Stamp  Act  law  became  known ;  but 
the  importers  would  not  dispose  of  it ;  and  the  determined  citizens 
drank  their  wintergreen  and  sassafras  beverages  "  straight."  adhering 
to  their  original  promises  of  non-intercourse  until  the  act  should  be 
annulled. 

In  May,  1776.  the  joyful  news  of  its  repeal  rang  through  the  land. 
Bells  and  bonfires,  exultations  and  congratulations,  prayers  and  thanks- 
givings were  universal.  The  Governor,  council,  city  authorities  and  all 
but  the  military  joined  in  the  general  rejoicings. 

On  June  4  (the  King's  birthday)  Governor  Moore  summoned  the 
people  to  participate  in  a  festival  and  ox-roast  on  the  common ;  and  an 
immense  liberty  pole  was  erected,  from  which  a  flag  waved,  bearing  the 
inscription:  "  Hail  to  the  King!  to  Pitt!  and  to  Liberty!" — William 
Pitt  having  been  one  of  the  strongest  champions  of  the  rights 
of  the  American  colonies,  was  foremost  in  securing  the  repeal  of 
the  Stamp  Act.  An  equestrian  statue,  of  George  III,  of  solid  lead, 
was  subsequently  erected  in  Bowling  Gren,  and  a  marble  statue  of 
Pitt  was  placed  in  Wall  Street,  near  the  sight  of  the  present  Sub- 
treasury  Building.  The  statue  of  King  George  was  taken  down  during 
the  Revolution,  and  cast  into  bullets  by  the  family  of  Governor  Wol- 
cott  of  Connecticut ;  and  the  statue  of  Pitt  was  subsequently  demolished 
by  the  British  soldiery,  in  retaliation  for  the  indignity,  manifested  by 
the  citizens,  to  the  leaden  statue  of  the  King. 

England's  temerity,  timidity  and  indecision  were  strangely  conspic- 
uous during  the  whole  period  of  the  Stamp  Act  proceeding.  Her 
statesmen  had  always  regarded  the  colonists  with  the  utmost  disdain, 


y^N  OTHER     Tax     Bill.  61 

betraying  a  woful  ignorance  ol  and  liltU^  desire  to,  actiuainL  thein- 
selves  with  the  actual  condition  or  wants  of  the  peojjle,  treating  their 
petitions  with  contempt  ami  proposing  no  legislation  that  would  ad- 
vance their  material  interests,  even  though  it  necessarily  would  have 
redounded  to  their  mutual  advantajje.  And  the  faith  of  her  statesmen 
in  the  future  possibilities  or  development  of  the  colonies  was  as  limited 
as  her  policy  had  been  narrow,  prejudicial  and  selfish.  No  abatements 
of  taxation  were  considered,  nor  provisions  made  for  exigencies, 
seasons  of  want  or  misfortune  ;  but  the  slightest  material  increase  of 
prosperity  was  immediately  noted,  and  new  schemes  for  taxation  were 
formulated  by  the  Parliament,  which  kept  the  people  under  the  per- 
petual harrow  of  discontent,  and  upon  the  ragged  edge  of  poverty  and 
despair.  The  Parliament  demonstrated  its  audacity  by  concocting  and 
passing  the  Stamp  Act ;  but  the  Government  lacked  the  courage, 
though  it  possessed  the  power  to  enforce  it. 

The  old  fort,  doubtless,  would  have  succumbed  to  the  combined 
attack  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  and  the  indignant  populace  ;  but  the 
British  men-of-war,  then  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  could  have  laid  the 
city  in  ashes,  had  the  command  been  given.  This,  undoubtedly,  would 
have  precipitated  the  inevitable  and  momentous  issue. 

The  Sons  of  Liberty  had  now  become  a  recognized  power  through- 
out the  land,  and  the  people  relied  upon  their  unity,  discipline  and 
patriotism,  to  protect  their  interests  against  any  further  innovations  of 
British  law  or  military  power.  The  city  was  full  of  British  troops,  and 
frequent  disturbances  arose  between  them  and  the  former  organization, 
which  kept  up  the  excitement  between  the  parties,  and  was  soon  to 
culminate  in  an  open  and  prolonged  rupture. 

The  New  York  Assembly  had  for  several  years  stood  firmly  for  the 
people,  declaring  that  while  they  were  willing  to  support  His  Majesty's 
Government  in  all  reasonable  measures,  the  citizens  must  first  be  con- 
sulted, and  no  acts  would  be  approved  without  their  consent. 

In  1767  the  British  Parliament  again  assumed  the  aggressive  by 
passing  another  tax-bill ;  which  imposed  a  duty  upon  all  tea,  paper,  lead, 
sugar  and  paints,  which  should  be  imported  into  the  colonies.  This 
firebrand  aroused  the  Sons  of  Liberty  to  renewed  opposition,  and  was 
the  casus  belli  of  the  Revolution.  The  General  Assembly,  which  pro- 
tested against  this  last  outrage,  was  dissolved  by  the  Governor,  who 
issued  orders  for  the  election  of  its  successor.  The  contest  w^as  bitter 
and  exciting,  but  the  Sons  of  Liberty  secured  a  majority  of  members. 

In  September,  1769,  Governor  Moore  died  suddenly,  and  that  anti- 
quated functionary,  Cadwallader  Golden,  again  came  to  the  front.  This 
was  a  misfortune  for  the  people,  for,  notwithstanding  Colden's  dotage. 


62  The     British     ^oldiers'    Prowess. 

he  possessed  a  considerable  influence  with  some  of  the  citizens,  and 
soon  set  his  emissaries  at  work  to  purchase  or  win  over  a  majority 
of  the  members  of  the  new  Assembly,  to  aid  the  Royalists'  designs, 
including  the  proposed  issue  of  bills  of  credit  for  the  support  of  a 
standing  army,  and  to  maintain  his  extravagant  measures  for  the 
continuance  of  the  Government.  These  acts  aroused  the  Sons  of  s 
Liberty,  who  were  justly  suspicious  of  any  legislative  schemes  which 
Golden  might  suggest  ;  and  inflammatory  posters  soon  appeared, 
summoning  the  people  to  meet  at  "The  Fields,"  to  discuss  and  pro- 
test against  the  measures ;  and,  also,  to  oppose  the  Paliamentary  Tax 
Law.  Three  thousand  persons  assembled,  and  the  people  were  coun- 
seled to  arm  and  resist  the  first  attempt  to  execute  the  act. 

About  this  time  a  change  occurred  in  the  British  ministry,  the  Par- 
liament receded  from  its  ultra  position  concerning  the  Tax-Law,  by 
amending  its  provisions,  making  it  applicable  only  to  a  single  article  of 
import,  viz.,  tea.  While  this  was  a  concession,  it  did  not  remove  the 
cause  of  complaint.  The  people  were  earnestly  contending  for  a 
principle;  nor  would  they  compromise  or  abandon  a  single  point  that 
could  be  urged,  or  made,  the  basis  for  future  acts  of  oppression. 

The  imported  British  soldier  of  those  days  drew  his  pay  and  rations 
from  the  colonies,  but  imbibed  loyalty  or  devotion  from  across  the  sea. 
He  was  a  curious  commixture  of  cupidity,  stupidity,  arrogance  and  in- 
solence. His  direst  bete  noir  was  a  liberty  pole.  A  harmless  hickory 
sapling,  when  erected  on  the  common,  by  a  detested  "  Son  of  Liberty," 
was  as  a  deadly  "  Upas "  to  his  vision  and  senses.  As  a  red  rag 
suffices  to  inflame  the  brutal  passions  of  the  natural  veritable  animal,, 
so  a  simple  banner  inscribed  with  the  hated  word  "  Liberty,"  when 
waving  from  an  unoffending  pole  upon  the  common,  was  regarded  by 
John  Bull,  the  soldier,  as  a  personal  menace  or  affront;  which  never 
failed  to  arouse  all  the  characteristic  animosity,  pugnacity  and  ferocity 
of  his  nature.  Repeatedly,  during  the  five  years  preceding,  these 
"soldiers"  had  "locked  horns"  with  their  common  enemy, —  the  liberty 
pole,  which  usually  resulted  in  a  drawn  battle,  with  mutual  damages. 
Whenever  they  succeeded  in  felling  it,  the  Liberty  boys  would  rally 
and  reerect  it.  These  periodic  encounters  were  the  chief  employ- 
ment and  delight  of  the  red-coated  minions  of  King  George,  who  had 
been  quartered  here  for  years,  against  the  wishes  and  protests  of  the 
people. 

Upon  the  evening  of  January  13,  1770,  a  detachment  of  the  Six- 
teenth British  Infantry  made  another  attack  upon  the  inoflensive 
liberty  pole,  with  gunpowder,  but  failing  in  their  purpose,  crossed  to 
the  west  side  of  Broadway,  near  Warren  Street,  and,  without  provoca- 


f 


RESTLING       WITH       THE       [ClNG'S       ^NGLISH. 


(;:{ 


tioii,  assaulunl  a  part)'  ol  cili/cns,  who  wvxr.  standing;  in  iVoiiL  of  lIk,- 
Montaync  I  lotcl,  which  was  at  this  tiiiu-  the  hcadciiiartcrs  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty.  The  citizens  retreated  within  the  hotel  and  barricaded  the 
doors,  but  the  troops  battered  them  down,  demoHsiied  the  crockery 
and  furniture,  hel[)ed  themselves  to  food  and  drink,  remaininj:^  there  till 
morning^,  when  their  superiors,  in  command,  ordered  them  to  the  bar- 
racks, which  were  then  on  Chambers,  near  Centre  Street.  On  the  14th 
and  1 5th  similar  attacks  were  made;  which  were  repulsed  by  the 
Sons  of  Liberty.  Upon  the  night  of  the  i6th  they  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing it  down  with  gunpowder,  and,  sawing  it  into  sections,  stacked  them 
before  the  door  of  the  hotel.  Not  content  with  this  proceeding,  upon 
the  following  day  some  members  of  the  Sixteenth  Regiment  ordered 
printed  and  posted  about  the  city  a  scurrilous  circular,  from  which  the 
following  are  extracts ;   the  remainder  being  unfit  for  publication  : 

Whereas,  an  uncommon  and  riotous  disturbance  prevails  throughout  this  city  by  some 

of  its  inhabitants,  who  style  themselves  the  S s  of  L y,  but  rather  may  be  called 

real  enemies  of  society  ;  and  whereas,  the  army  now  quartered  in  New  York  are  repre- 
sented in  a  heinous  light  to  their  officers  and  others,  for  having  propagated  a  disturbance 
in  this  city  by  attempting  to  destroy  their  Liberty-Pole,  in  the  field,  which,  being  now 
completed,  without  the  assistance  of  the  army,  we  have  reason  to  laugh  at  them,  and  beg 

the  public  only  to  observe  how  chagrined  thesa  pretended  S s  of  L y  look  as  they 

pass  through  the  street ;  especially  as  those  great  heroes  thought  their  freedom  depended 
on  a  piece  of  wood,  and  who  may  well  be  compared  to  Esau,  who  sold  his  birthright  for 

a  mess  of  pottage.     And  although  those  shining  S s  of  L y  have  boasted  of  their 

freedom,  surely  they  have  no  right  to  throw  an  aspersion  upon  the  army,  since  it 
is  out  of  military  discipline  to  deprive  them  of  their  freedom.  However,  notwith- 
standing, we  are  proud  to  see  these  elevated  geniuses  reduced  to  the  low  degree  of 
having  their  place  of  general  redezvous  made  a  (Gallows  Green)  vulgar  phrase  for  a  com- 
mon place  of  execution  for  murderers,  robbers,  traitors  and  r— — s,  to  the  latter  of  which 

we  may  compare  those  famous  L B s  (Liberty  Boys),  who  have  nothing  to  boast 

of  but  the  flippancy  of  tongue,  although  in  defiance  of  the  laws  and  good  government 
of  our  most  gracious  sovereign,  they  openly  and  r y  (riotously)  assembled  in  multi- 
tudes, to  stir  up  the  minds  of  His  Majesty's  good  subjects  to  sedition  ;  they  have  in  their 
late  seditious  libel,  signed  Brutus,  expressed  the  most  villainous  falsehoods  against  the 
soldiers.  But  as  ungrateful  as  they  are  counted,  it  is  well  known,  since  their  arrival  in 
New  York,  they  have  watched  night  and  day  for  the  safety  of  protection  of  the  city  and 
its  inhabitants,  who  have  suff"ered  the  rays  of  the  scorching  sun  in  summer,  and  the  severe 
colds  of  freezing  snowy  nights  in  winter,  which  must  be  the  case  and  fifty  times  worse, 

had  there  been  a  war  which  we  sincerely  pray  for,  in  hopes  those  S of  L y  (Sons 

of  Liberty)  may  feel  the  effects  of  it  with  famine  and  destruction  pouring  on  their  heads, 
But  the  means  of  making  your  city,  which  you  so  much  boast  of,  an  impov- 
erished one,  is  your  acting  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  the  British  government ;  but  take 
heed,  lest  you  repent  too  late  —  for  if  you  boast  so  mightily  of  your  famous  exploits,  as 
you  have  heretofore  done  (witness  the  late  Stamp  Act),  we  may  allow  you  to  be  all  Alex- 
anders, and  lie  under  your  feet,  to  be  trodden  upon  with  contempt  and  disdain  ;  but  before 
we  so  tamely  submit,  be  assured  we  will  stand  in  defence  of  the  rights  and  privilages  due 
to  a  soldier,  etc (Signed  by  the  Sixteenth  Regiment  of  Foot.) 


€4 


Insults    and     Outrages. 


Thus,  were  insults  added  to  outrages.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  issued 
a  call  for  a  meeting,  to  be  held  that  night,  upon  the  common,  in  full 
view  of  the  soldiers'  barracks,  to  take  such  measures  as  would  insure 
the  future  peace  of  the  city,  against  its  pretended  protectors. 

More  than  three  thousand  persons  responded  to  the  call,  and  reso- 
lutions were  passed,  declaring  unemployed  soldiers  to  be  a  menace  and 
danger  to  the  inhabitants,  and  that  all  under  the  rank  of  "  orderlies," 
(excepting  sentinels,)  who  should  appear  upon  the  streets,  either  with 
or  without  fire-arms,  should  be  considered  as  enemies  of  law  and  order, 
and  be  dealt  with  summarily.  A  committee  was  appointed,  to  enforce 
•obedience  to  these  sentiments,  by  organizing  into  companies  as  many 
citizens  as  were  necessary  to  patrol  the  city,  and  put  an  effectual  quietus 
upon  further  deeds  of  lawlessness  by  the  King's  defenders.  An  order 
was  also  isued  by  the  Mayor,  prohibiting  the  appearance  of  any  soldier 
upon  the  public  streets,  after  roll-call,  under  penalty  of  arrest  and 
imprisonment  in  the  guard-house  which  the  corporation  was  then 
■erecting  upon  the  common. 

These  were  bold  decisive  steps,  but  the  malady  had  become  chronic, 
and  the  situation  was  no  longer  endurable.  The  Sons  of  Liberty 
were  determined  and  defiant.  They  had  calculated  the  chances  for 
success,  the  consequences  of  defeat,  and  had  "  crossed  the  Rubicon"  to 
assume  the  aggressive,  to  suffer,  to  struggle,  and  to  sacrifice  all,  if 
necessary,  for  the  solution  of  the  problem,  whether  their  long  cherished 
convictions,  and  avowed  theories  of  popular  Government  were  vision- 
ary, sentimental,  and  delusive,  as  alleged,  or,  whether  these  principles 
were  destined  to  become  real,  practical,  and  enduring. 

The  day  following  the  publication  of  the  order,  three  soldiers  were 
discovered  posting  circulars  of  an  abusive,  filthy  character,  upon  the 
houses  of  many  of  the  residents,  when  they  were  seized  by  a  small 
party  of  Liberty  Boys,  and  taken  before  Mayor  Hicks,  at  the  City  Hall, 
who  committed  them  to  await  an  examination  on  the  following  day. 
Their  comrades,  to  the  number  of  thirty  or  more,  learning  of  the  ar- 
rests, armed  themselves  and  proceeded  to  the  City  Hall,  to  demand 
their  release  ;  but  were  confronted  by  a  party  of  Liberty  Boys,  upon 
the  steps  of  the  building,  who,  gathering  some  clubs  and  stones, 
kept  them  at  bay,  until  Mayor  Hicks  appeared,  and  warned  them  to 
desist  and  return  to  the  barracks.  They  retreated,  sullenly  and  slowly, 
up  John  Street  to  Golden  Hill;  which  is  the  block  now  bounded  by 
William,  John,  Fulton,  and  Cliff  Streets  ;  where  they  made  a  stand 
upon  the  highest  ground  ;  (the  location  of  which  will  be  hereafter  re- 
ferred to  ; )  and  where  they  were  soon  reinforced  by  about  fifty  members 
of  the  Sixteenth  British  Infantry,  most  of  whom  were  provided  with 


Battle    of    Golden     Hill 


65 


bayonets  and  pistols,  when  they  proposed  to  renew  the  assault  upon 
the  City  Hall,  and  liberate  their  comrades. 

The  Sons  of  Liberty  hastily  collected  some  muskets  and  pistols  ; 
others  joined  them,  with  clubs  and  stones,  when  they  proceeded  to  the 
hill,  determined  to  disperse  the  soldiers,  or  arrest  and  confme  them 
with  their  companions.  The  citizens  assembled  en  masse  upon  the 
four  streets  surroundinor  the  hill,  and  hemmed  in  the  combatants,  when 
the  disguised  officer  of  the  English  troops  ordered  his  men  to  charge 
upon  the  people  and  cut  their  way  through  the  hollow  square.  The 
battle  then  commenced  in  earnest,  and,  after  the  first  volley,  the  En- 
crlish  havinsf  exhausted  their  ammunition,  the  remainder  was  a  hand-to- 
hand  contest,  with  clubs,  stones,  bayonets  and  sabres,  until  the  British 
were  routed,  and  fied  toward  their  barracks,  through  showers  of  stones, 
bricks  and  other  missiles.  Blood  flowed  freely  on  both  sides,  and  sev- 
eral bystanders  were  among  the  wounded.  One  old  Quaker,  who  was 
standing  in  the  door  of  his  residence,  on  John  Street,  was  shot  through 
the  head.  Three  citizens  were  wounded  with  bayonets  ;  five  soldiers 
were  disabled  and  carried  to  their  quarters  ;  and  thus  ended  the  first 
day's  contest,  or  tlie  "  Battle  of  Golden  Hill,"  where  was  shed  the  first 
blood  of  the  Revolution,  notwithstanding  historians  have  asserted  that 
the  "  massacre  "  on  Boston  Common  was  the  first  sanguinary  conflict 
that  occurred  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  But  the  truth  is,  first :  The  Bos- 
ton affair,  which  should  never  have  been  characterized  as  "a  massacre," 
was  only  a  street  fight,  between  an  unorganized  mob  and  a  party  of 
soldiers,  involving  no  contest  for  principle,  as  did  the  conflict  with  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  here.  Secondly,  the  firing  upon  the  mob  was  justified 
by  the  verdict  of  a  jury  of  the  citizens  of  Boston,  and  the  captain  who 
gave  the  order  to  fire,  was  examined  ;  defended  by  such  eminent  citi- 
zens as  Josiah  Ouincy  and  John  Adams,  and  fully  exonerated.  Lastly, 
this  encounter  did  not  occur  until  more  than  two  months  after  the 
battle  of  Golden  Hill. 

The  next  day  a  party  of  Liberty  Boys  had  assembled  upon  the 
common,  for  consultation,  when  they  were  attacked  by  a  squad  of  the 
Sixteenth  Infantry,  who  were  again  repulsed.  Failing  in  their  heroic 
attempts  to  demolish  the  liberty  pole,  or  to  annihilate  the  Sons  of 
Liberty,  they  next  attacked  three  old  women  in  the  market,  and 
succeeded  in  putting  them  to  flight;  two  escaping  unhurt;  the  other 
receiving  a  sabre  wound  in  the  shoulder.  Their  third  encounter,  upon 
that  day,  was  with  the  Mayor  and  some  members  of  the  City  Council, 
whom  they  met  upon  the  Golden  Hill  battle  ground,  threatening  them 
with  violence,  and  demanding  the  release  of  their  comrades.  While 
the  Mayor  was  urging  them  to  disperse,  a  party  of  Liberty  Boys  ap- 


66 


Location    of    Golden    Mill 


peared  upon   the  scene,  and   routed  them.     Thus  ended  the  second 
day's  battle  on  Golden  Hill. 

The  particulars  of  this  important  and  sanguinary  struggle,  were  fur- 
nished by  a  son  of  one  of  the  heroes  who  participated  in  the  battle, 
one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  who  died  in 
1830.  The  facts  are  confirmed  by  various  records,  and  several  letters 
"written  at  the  time,  from  one  of  which  we  extract  the  following  : 

New  York,  Jan.  28th,  1770. 
Our  city  is  in  a  terrible  state  of  Excitement.  God  only  knows  what  will  Become  of 
us.  The  Soldiers  have  blown  up  the  liberty  Pole  and  the  Sons  of  Liberty  have  had  a 
bloody  fight  with  them  on  Golden  Hill,  in  Shoemaker's  land.  Some  were  killed  on  both 
sides,  and  a  great  many  wounded,  but  thank  God  the  Soldiers  were  whipt.  It  lasted  two 
days,  but  we  e.xpect  the  contest  is  only  just  begun,  and  this  may  be  the  last  you  will  ever 
hear  from  us,  etc. 

The  term  "  Shoemaker's  Land,"  before  referred  to,  originated 
about  the  year  1700,  when  all  the  tanneries  and  shoe  manufactories 
in  the  city  were  ordered  to  be  removed  to  a  single  locality,  beyond  the 
city  limits,  as  were  also  the  slaughter-houses  and  fish-stalls  of  those 
times.  "Shoemaker's  Land"  was  then  bounded  by  the  streets  of 
Broadway  and  Cliff,  Maiden  Lane  and  Fulton  (or  Fair  Street,  as  Fulton 
Street  was  then  called). 

Golden  Hill  was  the  highest  eminence  of  land  in  this  territory,  situ- 
ated upon  the  block  surrounded  by  William,  John,  Fulton  and  Gold,  (or 
Vandercliff  Street,)  the  ground  rising  into  a  mound  of  considerable  size 
in  the  immediate  rear  of  the  premises  Nos.  122  and  126  William  Street, 
and  denoted  by  a  *  upon  the  map  accompanying  this  volume.  The 
continuation  of  John  Street,  east  of  William,  then  bore  the  name  of 
Golden  Hill  Street.  The  rectangular  block,  shown  upon  the  map  (*), 
defining  the  limits  of  Golden  Hill,  contained,  in  1770,  about  twenty 
houses,  or  buildings,  scattered  upon  its  four  sides. 

Let  us  go  backward,  for  nearly  a  half  century  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tion—  to  the  year  1728,  or  the  date  when  this  map  was  completed. 
Only  seven  buildings  are  represented  thereon.  Time's  destro)ing 
finger  has  obliterated  all  but  one,  and  that  still  exists!  It  is  indicated 
in  the  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  as  No.  122  William  Street.  It 
stands  but  a  few  feet  from  the  ancient  summit  of  Golden  Hill,  and  was 
erected  some  time  prior  to  the  year  1700,  having  been  known  during 
the  past  twenty  years  as  a  first-class  French  restaurant,  kept  by  Mr. 
Louis  Heckman,  who  died  there  about  a  year  since,  the  business  now 
being  continued  by  his  son.  Adjoining  this  is  another,  an  exact  dupli- 
cate-of  the  former  building.  Both  are  united  and  divided  by  the  same 
partition  wall,  and  belong  to  the  same  estate. 


/ 


N  C  I  E  N  T 


La 


N  D  M  A  R^K  S  , 


67 


THE    GILFORD    PROPERTY    IN    1787. 

(now    132    ANU     126    WIILIAM    STREET.) 

This  property,  consisting  of  three  lots,  was  purchased  in   1773,  by 
Mr.  Samuel  Gilford,  as  the  subjoined  letter  will  show  : 

Toms  River,   New  Jersey,  July,   8,    1887. 
Mr.   F.  S.  Bartram, 

Dear  Sir:  I  regret  that  I  cannot  find  the  papers  referring  to  the  subject  of  your 
inquiry,  excepting  that,  my  grandfather,  Samuel  Gilford,  took  the  title  to  122  WilHam 
Street  in  the  year  1773,  and  resided  there  until  he  left  the  city  at  the  commencement  of 
the  war,  and  could  not  return  until  the'close  of  the  war,  in  1783,  when  he  continued  to 
reside  there  until  his  death,  in  1821.  It  has  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  family 
ever  since,  and  now  belongs  to  me.  It  was  built  of  brick  imported  from  Holland,  and 
laid  in  a  cement  that  is  as  imperishable  as  the  bri<fks  themselves.  It  was  a  very  old 
house  when  bought  by  my  grandfather,  in  1773.  The  adjoining  house,  No.  126,  was 
built  by  him  soon  after  the  Revolution.  I  cannot  inform  you  of  the  names  of  the  persons 
who  occupied  the  old  house  prior  to  its  purchase  by  my  grandfather. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Thomas  B.   Gilford. 

In  the  New  York  City  Directory,  of  1786,  the  following  appears  : 

"  Gilford  Samuel,  merchant,  yj,  \Vm.  ftreet."* 

These  houses  ,  believed  to  be  the  oldest  in  New  York  city,  are 
to-day  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.     No.  1 26  has  been  occupied 
for  thirty  years  last  past,  or  up  to   1886,  by  Mr.  Harrison  Barnett,  as  a 

*  The  numbers  upon  the  buildings  then  commenced  at   Maiden  Lane. 


68 


A  N  T  I  9JJ  E      P  E  C  O  R^A  T  I  O  N  S 


salesroom  for  window  shades  and  trimmings,  but  the  building  has  since 
been  leased  to  the  Yale  Fountain  Pen  Company,  and  is  now  occupied 
by  it  as  a  salesroom  and  manufactory  for  the  popular  Yale  Fountain. 
Pens. 

In  the  basement  of  each  house  are  two  of  the  famous  old  Dutch, 
ovens,  forming  the  base  of  immense  stone  chimneys,  which  were  the 
house  anchors  and  pride  of  the  Knickerbockers.  The  kitchens,  in  the 
basements,  were  after  the  English  models,  and  the  immense  mantels, 
upon  each  floor,  were  elaborately  inlaid  with  tiles  of  porcelain,  about  six 
inches  square,  in  various  colors  and  designs  ;  each  tile  containing  a 
representation  or  illustration  of  some  historic,  religious  or  secular 
event,  and  all  combined  to  produce  a  singularly-beautiful  and  striking 
effect.  Of  the  many  hundreds  which  adorned  the  inner  walls  and 
mantels,  one  is  here  reproduced  : 


The  reference  is  St.  John,  viii  :   2-6  ; 

"But  Jesus  stooped  clown,   and  with  his  linger  wrote  on  the  ground."     . 
.     .      "Saying,  he  that  is  without  s'n  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her."    . 

These  venerable  twin  structures,  sandwiched  between  buildings  of 
more  pretentious  proportions,  attract  but  little  notice  from  the  casual 


r- 


M  O  U  S      AND 


)M 


FAMOUS 


pu 


EST  S. 


C.) 


passcr-by,  hut  to  those  more  familiar  with  th(;  history  of  our  city, 
they  awaken  feelings  of  extraordinary  and  tender  interest — more  par- 
ticularly to  many  who  are  descendants  of  those  who  were  the  actual 
participants  in  the  stirring  events  of  1770  ;  as  they  are  the  sole  remain- 
ing relics  of  that  locality,  that  must  remain  forever  memorable  as  the 
birthplace  of  a  struggle  for  humanity  and  liberty  —  the  most  remarka- 
ble, momentous  and  decisive  in  the  annals  of  this,  or  any  other,  country. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  several  of  the  oldest  citizens,  (though  the 
writer  has  no  documentary  evidence  to  sustain  the  assertions,)  that  one 
of  the  buildings,  at  various  periods  prior  to  the  Revolution,  was  used 
as  a  hotel  and  coffee-house,  numbering  among  its  patrons  such  patriots 
as  Washington,  Lafayette,  Baron  Steuben  and  General  Putnam,  and, 
also,  such  villains  as  Captain  Kidd,  Marshal  Cunningham  and  Benedict 
Arnold.  There  is  no  doubt  of  its  existence  at  the  time  they  were  resi- 
dents of  the  city.  Little  change  has 
been  made  in  the  exterior  appearance 
of  the  buildings,  as  this  recent  illus- 
tration will  show  : 

Thus,  have  they  withstood  the 
lightnings,  torrents  and  tempests  of 
nearly  two  centuries,  and  have,  almost 
miraculously,  escaped  a  score  of  con- 
flagrations, which,  at  various  periods, 
have  swept  through  William  Street, 
and  destroyed  every  other  building  of 
early  times.  They  have  resisted  the 
torch  of  the  Indian,  and  the  shocks  of 
wars  ;  have  defied  Time's  changes  and 
ravages  ;  and  their  ancient  walls,  erect 
as  of  yore,  still  cast  the  creeping 
evening  shadows  over  the  crest  of 
Golden  Hill. 

But  they  are  doomed  soon  to  suc- 
cumb to  that  relentless  iconoclast. 
Commerce,  whose  resistless  exactions 
are  ruthlessly  obliterating  all  our  cher- 
ished, ancient  landmarks. 

Upon  the  west  side  of  William  Street,  opposite  this  building, 
Washington  Irving  was  born,  and  in  the  old  house  which  formerly 
adjoined  it  (No.  128)    he  resided  for  several  years. 

In  February,  1770,  the  Sons  of  Liberty  decided  to  erect  another 
pole,  to  replace  the  one  destroyed,  and  resolved  to  construct  it  of  such 


THE  GILFORD  PROPERTY  IN  1887. 

(NO.    126    WILLIAM    STKEBT.) 


70  f^      T  ^°  CLAMATION. 

proportions  that  it  would  withstand  all  the  onslaughts  of  the  British  sol- 
diery. Governor  Colden  was  secretly  exerting  his  influence  with  the 
Mayor,  and  also  the  Councilmen,  to  induce  them  to  refuse  permission  to 
place  it  upon  the  common,  and  finally  accomplished  his  purpose.  This 
was  a  surprise  to  the  Sons  of  Liberty  ;  but  the  spirit  that  animated 
them,  which  could  defy  the  aggressions  of  the  mightiest  government 
then  in  existence,  was  not  to  be  dismayed  nor  defeated  in  its  purposes 
by  such  examples  of  treachery  and  cowardice.  The  following  an- 
nouncement, which  appeared  in  the  newspaper  soon  after  the  decision 
of  the  Council  was  made  known,  explains  itself: 

To  THE  Sons  of  Liberty  in  this  City  : 

Gentlemen :  It 's  well  known,  that  it  has  been  the  custom  of  all  nations  to  erect  mon- 
uments to  perpetuate  the  Remembrance  of  grand  Events.  Experience  has  proved  that 
they  have  had  a  good  effect  on  the  Posterity  of  those  who  raised  them,  especially  such  as 
were  made  sacred  to  Liberty.  Influenced  by  these  Considerations,  a  number  of  the 
Friends  of  Liber  y  in  this  City  erected  a  Pole  in  the  Fields,  on  Ground  belonging  to  the 
Corporation,  as  a  temporary  memorial  of  the  unanimous  Opposition  of  the  detestable 
Stamp  Act  ;  which,  having  been  destroyed  by  some  disaffected  Persons,  a  Number  of  the 
Inhab'tants,  determined  to  erect  another,  made  several  applications  to  the  ]\Iayor,  as  the 
principal  member  of  the  Corporation,  for  Leave  to  erect  a  new  Pole  in  the  place  where 
the  old  one  stood.  The  Committee  that  wailed  on  him  the  last  time,  dispos  d  to  remove 
every  Objection,  apprehensive  that  some  of  the  Corporation  might  be  opposed  to  the 
erection  of  the  Pole,  from  a  supposition  that  those  Citizens  who  were  for  its  being  raised, 
were  actuated  solely  by  a  Party  spirit,  offered,  when  the  Pole  was  finished,  to  make  it  a 
present  to  the  Corporation,  provided  they  would  order  it  to  be  erected  cither  where  the 
other  stood,  or  near  ]\Ir.  Van  Bergh's,  where  the  two  roads  meet.  But  even  this,  aston- 
ishing as  it  may  seem  to  Englishmen,  was  rejected  by  the  INIajority  of  the  Corporation 
and  the  other  Requisidons  denied.  We  question  whether  this  conduct  can  be  paralleled 
by  any  Act  of  any  Corporation  in  the  British  Dominions,  chosen  by  the  Suffrage  of  Free 
People.  And  now.  Gentlemen,  seeing  we  are  debarred  the  privilege  of-  Public  Ground 
to  erect  the  Pole  on,  we  have  purchased  a  place  for  it  near  where  the  other  stood,  which 
is  full  as  public  as  any  of  the  Corpora' ion  Ground.  Your  attendance  and  countenance 
are  desired  at  nine  o'clock  on  Tuesday  morning,  the  6th  instant,  at  Mr.  Crommelin's 
Wharf,  in  order  to  carry  it  up,  to  be  raised.  By  Order  of  the  CoMMirrEE. 

New  York,  February,  1 770. 

Two  members  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  John  Lamb  and  William 
Ctmningham,  the  latter  afterward  known  as  the  notorious  Marshal 
Cunningham  of  the  Revolution,  were  appointed  to  purchase  a  plot  of 
ground,  which  they  selected,  adjoining  the  common,  where,  upon  the 
6th,  the  pole  was  raised  in  the  presence  of  about  four  thousand  spec- 
tators. It  was  of  immense  proportions,  banded  with  iron  hoops  and 
braced  with  rods,  imbedded  in  the  earth  between  rocks,  and  secured 
with  masonry.     Thus  was  the  fifth  pole  raised  by  the  Liberty  Boys. 

Treachery  again  developed  at  their  old  headquarters,  the  Montayne 
House,  the  proprietor  having  notified  them  to  seek  other  quarters,  he 


The     Meeting     in     the     Fields. 


71 


ha\ing  espoused  the  cause  of  tlu;  Kin^^^  through  the  persuasive;  (efforts 
of  the  oM  Governor,  This  httle  obstacle  was  circumvented  by  the  i)ur- 
chase  of  a  lot,  where  "The  New  York  Herald"  structure  now  stands, 
upon  which  they  erected  a  building,  containing  an  audience-room, 
which  they  christened  Hampden  Hall,  and  consecrated  it  to  the  cause 
of  human  freedom. 

About  a  month  later,  two  companies  of  British  soldiers  were  ordered 
to  Florida,  to  guard  a  trading  post,  established  there,  and  when  en 
route  to  the  vessel  that  was  to  transport  them  thither,  broke  ranks,  and 
made  another  attempt  to  mutilate  the  new  liberty  pole,  hoping  to 
capture  the  flag  and  carry  it  with  them.  Again  they  were  foiled  by  the 
timely  ringing  of  the  church  bells,  which  called  the  Liberty  Boys  to  its 
rescue.  They  followed  them  to  the  boat,  and  gave  them  a  parting 
salute  with  stones,  brick-bats,  etc.  The  pole  remained  for  several 
years,  or  until  the  capture  of  the  city  by  the  British,  when  it  was 
destroyed  through  the  efforts  of  the  treacherous  Cunningham,  to  whom 
reference  has  been  made. 

No  serious  disturbances  occurred  during  the  next  two  or  three 
years,  though  the  topic  of  tea  promoted  endless  discussion.  The  citi- 
zens had  thus  far  adhered  to  their  agreement,  not  to  purchase  or  drink 
it  until  the  duty  was  removed.  Several  cargoes  were  despatched  in 
1771-2,-3,  but  were  not  permitted  to  be  landed,  and  the  whole  of  one 
ship's  load  was  dumped  in  the  harbor  after  the  manner  of  the  Boston 
tea  party's  proceeding.  The  other  ships  returned  to  England  with 
their  cargo. 

Two  Governors  had  been  appointed  during  this  interval  of  time, 
the  first.  Lord  Dinsmore,  in  1770,  and  the  second,  William  Tryon,  in 
July,  1 77 1,  but  the  latter  soon  returned  to  England,  when  the  irrepress- 
ible Cadwallader  Golden  again  took  possession. 

The  port  of  Boston  was  closed  in  retaliation  for  the  proceedings  of 
her  citizens  on  December  16,  in  throwing  a  few  hundred  chests  of  tea 
overboard,  and  the  citizens  of  New  York  extended  their  sympathies  by 
calling  a  meeting  in  "The  Fields,"  or  Common,  at  which,  condemnatory 
resolutions  were  passed  upon  the  conduct  of  the  British  Parliament. 
It  was  at  this  famous  meeting  that  Alexander  Hamilton,  whose  remark- 
able character  and  public  services  form  the  subject  of  the  next  chapter, 
made  his  maiden  speech,  being  then  but  a  youth  of  seventeen,  and  a 
student  in  King's  College.  The  part  which  the  citizens  of  New  York 
assumed  and  displayed  during  the  Revolution  needs  no  recapitulation. 


[From  the  Original  Portrait  by  Gilbert  Stuart — 1799-' 


PWx...^^^5S^^^^ 


STATESMAN ! 
COUNSELOR  !       FINANCIER  ! 
SOLDIER  !  AUTHOR ! 

PATRIOT!  JURIST ! 

ORATOR  !  CITIZEN ! 

A  combination  and  a  form  indeed, 
STUDENT  1  Where  every  god  did  seem  to  set  his  seal,  GENTLEMAN  ! 

To  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  man. 

Shakespeare. 


72 


Chapter  V. 

c — n — o 

/ilcxar)aGP     llaiT)ilf 

1754-1804. 

' — ^IF^ • 


mIIN  this  Centennial  year  of  the  most  important  era  in  our  govern- 
«||  mental  career,  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  the 
^M^  actual  starting  point  of  National  existence,  it  seems  particularly 
appropriate,  while  reviewing  the  incidents  of  that  event,  which  have 
especial  pertinence  to  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  to  allude  to  the  pro- 
ceedings, now  taking  place  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  commemorating 
the  signing  of  the  instrument  in  that  city  upon  September  17,  1787, 
one  hundred  years  ago  to-day! 

A  natural,  pardonable  pride  justifies  us  all  in  duly  honoring  such  an 
event,  and  bids  us  hold,  or  keep  in  perpetual  grateful  remembrance,  the 
names  of  the  loyal,  determined  and  leading  spirits  of  that  Convention, 
whose  years  of  tedious,  unselfish  labor,  unstinted  devotion,  unchal- 
lenged wisdom  and  unwonted  sagacity  or  prescience,  under  perplexi- 
ties of  appalling  magnitude,  culminated,  at  last,  in  the  conception, 
formation  and  adoption  of  a  maxi?na  carta,  which,  born  without  prece- 
dent, became  the  first,  practicable,  established  beacon  of  actual  liberty 
the  world  had  ever  known  ;  which  has  challencred  the  wonder  and  admi- 
ration  of  mankind ;  has  adapted  itself  to  our  diverse  wants,  changing 
circumstances  and  phenomenal  growth  ;  has  defied  alike  the  assaults 
of  foreicrn  and  domestic  foes,  and  still  remains  —  with  but  few  changes 
—  the  heritage  and  monument  of  the  liberties  and  privileges  of  sixty 
millions  of  people,  over  whom  its  authority  now  extends. 

Its  adoption  was  at  the  most  critical,  crucial  period  of  American 
history,  as  the  people  had  been  struggling  for  years  under  a  pall  of  po- 
litical uncertainty,  financial  depression,  and  a  general  gloom  exceeding, 
perhaps,  in  intensity,  that  of  the  darkest  days,  of  the  military  period 
from  which  they  had  only  miraculously  emerged.  Nor  was  there 
much  unity  of  sentiment  or  harmony  of  action  in  the  convention  which 

73 


74  CoMPAR^ISONS. 

finally  adopted  it,  until  the  malcontents,  and  opponents  of  the  plan, 
departed  in  disgust,  thus  making  it  possible  for  those  who  remained  to 
accomplish  their  purpose  and  bring  the  weary,  bitter,  secret  session 
of  nearly  four  months'  duration  to  a  close. 

It  is  an  enduring,  sufficient  epitaph  for  the  imperishable  fame  of 
Alexander  Hamilton,  that  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other  personage,  is 
humanity  indebted  for  the  reversing,  remoulding,  and  final  reconciling 
of  public  sentiment,  that  secured  the  favorable  consideration  and  adop- 
tion of  the  Federal  Constitution. 

Nor  does  his  title  to  public  regard  rest  solely  upon  a  single  specific 
act  of  statecraft  or  heroism,  or  some  conspicuous  instance  of  personal 
sacrifice  or  devotion,  such  as  is  instanced  by,  and  accorded  to,  many  of 
the  noted  characters  of  those  days,  whose  solitary  achievements  in 
some  particular  field  of  duty,  have  been  magnified  by  repetition  into 
an  undue  prominence  when  contrasted  with  the  varied  attainments 
and  aggregated  labors  of  others. 

Jefferson  was  a  statesman,  as  the  term  is  defined,  but  Hamilton  was 
more.  He  could  not  only  pen  a  declaration  of  rights,  but  could  fore- 
cast political  events  ;  or  results  ;  with  tongue  could  wield  or  sway  the 
masses  at  his  will  ;  and  with  sword  could  lead  his  followers  to  victory. 
Greene  was  a  model  of  miltary  bravery,  but  Hamilton  possessed  equal 
personal  courage  combined  with  a  rare  talent  for  engineering  and  mili- 
tary strategy.  Patrick  Henry  was  a  patriot,  but  a  very  inferior  lawyer  ; 
while  Hamilton  was  not  only  a  patriot,  but  a  sagacious  counselor. 

It  is  but  a  slight  (if  any)  detraction  from  the  eternal  radiance 
of  the  star  of  Washington  that,  in  rare  instances,  under  great  pro-- 
vocation,  he  was  known  to  interject  adjectives  or  expletives  into  his 
briefest,  most  emphatic  sentences  and  utterances  that  do  not  exist  in 
similar  combinations  in  church  catechisms,  and  were  unknown  to  the 
vocabulary  of  Hamilton. 

We  are  so  conscious  of  Washington's  true  greatness,  so  proud  and 
jealous  of  his  fame,  so  sensitive  concerning  his  reputation,  that  it  may 
seem  dangerous,  presumptuous,  or  irreverent  to  criticize  or  allude  to 
him  otherwise  than  superlatively.  We  have  rung  the  chimes  or 
changes  upon  every  evidence  of  his  goodness,  from  the  time  of  the 
fabulous  cherry-tree  incident  to  that  of  the  tear-stained  death  warrant 
of  Andre,  forgetting,  that,  at  times,  he  was  also  very  human.  It 
was  during  one  of  those  rare  ebullitions  of  passion,  that  he  chided  his 
Adjutant  and  confidant,  for  causing  him,  as  he  then  belived,  a  few  mo- 
ments unnecessary  delay,  which  reproof  resulted  in  the  latter's  vol- 
untary retirement  from  his  staff.  Hamilton's  dignified  response  was: 
"  I  am  not  conscious  of  it,  sir;  but  since  you  are,  we  part." 


^ 


UALIFICATIONS.  76 


Nor  does  it  detract  from  Washington's  intellectual  abilities  that, 
during  the  period  of  liis  military  services,  of  the  number  of  messages 
and  reports  signed  by  him  and  transmitted  to  Congress,  and  which  are 
now  among  the  archives  of  the  Treasury,  and  which  have  been  pro- 
nounced rare  models  of  brevity,  pers[)icuousness  and  propriety,  more 
than  one  thousand  are  in  the  modest,  methodical  handwriting  of 
Hamilton. 

He  was  no  specialist.  He  did  not  blaze  out  in  periodic,  pyrotechnic 
flashes ;  but,  like  some  fixed  star,  shone  with  steady,  undimmed 
effulgence  in  every  varied  sphere  of  public  and  private  duty. 

Nor  is  it  extravagant  to  assert  that  no  hero  of  Revolutionary 
times,  assumed  or  accepted  so  many  different  roles  or  parts,  or  ac- 
quitted himself  more  honorably  or  ably  in  each. 

The  times  were  pregnant  with  civil,  political  and  military  conspira- 
cies or  cabals  ;  but  he  was  a  stranijer  to  them,  and  while  he  neither 
sought  promotion  nor  craved  distinction,  still  they  came  to  him  as  the 
natural  sequences  of  his  matchless  attainments  and  commanding  abili- 
ties, which  alone  enabled  him  to  pursue  equally,  calculate  accurately, 
and  master  thoroughly,  every  varied  subject  or  object  to  which  he 
directed  his  restless,  resistless  energies. 

He  was  remarkably  quick  in  apprehension,  lucid  in  expression, 
earnest  in  manner,  clear  and  cogent  in  reasoning,  impregnable  in  argu- 
ment, comprehensive  in  judgment,  punctilious  in  methods  and  details, 
honorable  and  generous  to  friends  and  foes,  intensely  loyal,  faithful, 
genial,  inflexible  —  in  truth,  were 

"The  dements  so  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up, 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  This  was  a  Man  !  " 

He  was  born  January  ii,  ijSj,  in  the  Island  of  Nevis,  one  of  a 
cluster  of  the  British  Antilles.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Scodand, 
who  emigrated  to  the  West  Indies,  where,  for  seven  years,  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  with  but  poor  success,  and  ultimately  settled  in 
Nevis,  where  he  practiced  medicine,  —  a  profession  which  he  had 
adopted  in  early  days.  His  mother  was  of  French  Huguenot  extraction, 
and  is  reported  to  have  been  conspicuous  for  personal  accomplishments, 
rare  beauty,  and  superior  intellect.  She  devoted  much  time  to  his 
early  education,  but  died  before  her  task  was  completed.  At  the  ten- 
der age  of  eleven,  he  had  become  familiar  with  Hebrew,  French  and 
English  literature,  having  developed  a  strong  propensity  for  books, 
particularly  those  treating  upon  mathematics  or  ethics. 

In  consequence  of  the  loss  of  his  mother  and  the  misfortunes  of  his 
father,  he  was,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  placed  in  the  office  of  a  large. 


76  -Precocity. 


mercantile  establishment  in  Santa  Cruz,  owned  by  a  Mr.  Cruger,  who 
was  attracted  to  him  by  reason  of  his  remarkable  acuteness  and 
polished  manners,  and  soon  promoted  him  to  the  chief  management  of 
the  business.  His  wonderful  precocity,  of  which  the  subjoined  letter 
is  an  illustration,  was  written  during  this  employment,  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years  and  ten  months,  and  gives  us  the  first  insight  to  his 
thoughts,  aims  and  aspirations.  The  number  of  boys  of  that  age  in  the 
United  States  to-day,  who  could  indite  such  sentiments,  is  very  limited. 
It  was  addressed  to  his  young  schoolmate  then  in  New  York,  pursuing 
his  studies,  from  whom  he  had  received  intelligence  of  the  excitinof 
condition  of  affairs  here,  and  the  probabilities  of  the  war,  which  then 
seemed  imminent  between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies,  in  which  it 
was  destined  that  he  should  soon  play  so  conspicuous  a  part : 

St.  Croix,  Nov.  ii,  1769. 
Dear  Edward: 

This  serves  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  yours,  per  Capt.  Lowndes,  which  was 
delivered  me  yesterday.  The  truth  of  Capt.  Lightbowen  and  Lowndes  informaiion  is  now 
verified  by  the  presence  of  your  father  and  sister,  for  whose  safe  arrival  I  pray,  and  that 
they  may  convey  that  satisfaction  to  your  soul  that  must  naturally  flow  from  the  sight  of 
absent  friends  in  health,  and  shall,  for  news  this  way,  refer  you  to  them. 

As  to  what  you  say  respecting  your  soon  having  the  happiness  of  seeing  us  all,  I  wish 
for  an  accomplishment  of  your  hopes,  provided  they  are  concomitant  with  your  welfare, 
otherwise  not,  though  doubt  whether  I  shall  be  present,  for,  to  confess  my  weakness,  Ned, 
my  ambition  is  prevalent,  so  that  I  contemn  the  grovelling  condition  of  a  clerk,  or  the 
like,  to  which  my  fortune  condemns  me,  and  would  willingly  risk  my  life,  though  not  my 
character,  to  exalt  my  station.  I  am  confident,  Ned,  that  my  youth  excludes  me  from  any 
hopes  of  immediate  preferment,  nor  do  I  desire  it,  but  I  mean  to  prepare  the  way  for 
futurity.  I'm  no  philosopher,  you  see,  and  may  be  justly  said  to  build  castles  in  the  air; 
my  folly  makes  me  ashamed,  and  beg  you  to  conceal  it;  yet,  Neddy,  we  have  seen  such 
schemes  successful  when  the  projector  is  constant.  I  shall  conclude  by  saying  I  wish 
there  was  a  war.  I  am,  dear  Edward,   Yours 

Alex.  Hamilton. 

He  had  shown  by  this  remarkable  letter  how  uncongenial  to  his 
tastes  were  the  pursuits  of  a  tradesman,  yet  he  continued  in  that 
capacity  for  the  next  two  years,  applying  every  leisure  moment  to  study 
and  literature.  He  had  full  access  to  the  library  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Knox,  an  eminent  divine  of  St.  Croix,  who  took  a  profound  interest 
in  him.  During  this  period  he  had  familiarized  himself  with  the 
works  of  Pope,  Plato  and  Plutarch,  who  were  his  favorite  authors. 
He  had  contributed  to  the  local  press  many  poems  and  essays,  and 
was  fast  attaining  distinction,  for  one  so  young  in  years,  as  a  writer 
upon  the  principles  or  science  of  government. 

During  a  brief  commercial  trip  to  St.  Eustatia,  the  island  which  had 
just  been  visited  by  a  terrific  hurricane,  presented  such  a  picture  of 


Attainments.  77 

desolation  that  he  [)cniu'cl  a  viviil  account  of  it,  whicli  was  jjiilihshcd  in 
the  newspapers  in  an  adjoining  island  and  gained  such  wide  notoriety 
that,  Avhen  it  was  disco\'ered  that  he  was  tlie  author,  Dr.  Knox  and 
some  of  the  wealthy  members  of  his  conij^regation  conceived  the 
project,  and,  consulting  his  wishes,  furnished  the  means  to  send  him  to 
this  country  to  complete  his  education. 

He  consequently  bade  adieu  to  commercial  employment,  and  leav- 
ing the  scenes  of  childhood  and  youth  for  aye,  arrived  in  Boston  in 
1772,  bearing  letters  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Knox  to  Doctors 
Rogers,  Warren  and  other  distinguished  men  in  New  York,  which  he 
reached  a  few  days  after  landing  at  Boston.  He  soon  joined  a  gram- 
mar school  at  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  which  was  established  under  the 
auspices  of  Governor  Livingstone  and  Mr.  Boudinot  in  whose  families 
he  soon  became  an  intimate,  welcome  visitor.  After  a  year's  diligent 
study  he  made  application  to  be  admitted  to  Princeton  College,  with 
the  reservation  that  he  should  be  promoted  from  class  to  class,  as  rap- 
idly as  his  attainments  would  justify,  but  the  president  of  that  insti- 
tution, Dr.  Witherspoon,  replied,  that  the  usages  of  the  college  forbade 
his  compliance  with  the  request,  though,  he  added,  that  an  examina- 
tion had  convinced  him  that  "  Mr.  Hamilton  would  do  honor  to  any 
seminary."  Failing  in  this  effort  he  entered  King's,  now  Columbia,  Col- 
lege in  this  city,  and,  with  the  aid  of  a  private  tutor,  pursued,  with  sur- 
prising vigor,  the  course  of  studies  that  were  marked  out  for  him. 
Nor  was  he  unmindful  of  the  events  that  were  transpiring  among  the 
colonies.  He  was  often  seen  upon  the  streets,  his  open  book  in  hand, 
reciting  to  himself  from  its  pages,  frequently  pausing  to  interview  the 
soldiers,  citizens  or  acquaintances,  and  thus  kept  pace  with  passing 
political  events.  He  was  equally  attentive  to  social  and  religious 
duties,  being  a  firm  believer  —  as  Robert  Troup  writes  —  in  the 
fundamental  doctrines  of  Christianity.  Nicholas  Fish  said  of  him, 
"He  could  write  hymns  as  well  as  poetry,  and  there  was  no  melancholy 
about  him.  He  was  a  fountain  of  wnt,  humor  and  satire,  and  in 
doggerel  verses  he  was  inimitable."  The  elasticity  of  his  genius  was 
most  remarkable. 

But  other  days  were  coming.  Serious  events  w^ere  to  occur  that 
would  impose  upon  youth  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  manhood 
and  develop  all  qualities  or  capacities  of  men's  natures.  The  rebellion 
was  approaching  a  crisis.  Revolution  was  a  reality !  Was  it  to  suc- 
ceed ?  What  part  was  he  to  perform  in  the  tragedy  ?  Upon  which 
side  was  he  to  enlist  ?  A  choice  was  inevitable.  Naturally  he  was  a 
Briton.  Under  England's  authority  he  had  been  reared  and  cultured. 
He  had  suffered  no  oppressions  from  her  laws.      He  had  no  animosities, 


78  FiF^sT   Plea    for     Amer^ica. 

or  revenges,  to  gratify.  Relatives  he  had  none  —  family  ties  bound 
him  neither  here,  nor  there  ;  so  that  he  was  particularly  free  from 
prejudices  of  this  character,  in  forming  this  decision.  Prestige,  wealth,, 
influence,  glory,  and  fame,  were  apparently  upon  the  side  of  England. 
Poverty,  toil,  uncertainty,  and  the  shadow  of  the  gibbet,  swayed  the 
opposite  scale.  He  was  a  friend  to  constituted  authority  ;  and  revolu- 
tion might  produce  anarchy  —  anything  or  nothing!  A  visit  to  Boston, 
in  the  spring  of  1774,  he  tells  us,  largely  influenced  him  in  reaching 
a  decision.  Boston  was,  at  this  time,  a  seething  cauldron  of  resistance 
to  every  English  innovation,  or  custom.  He  says  he  "was  strongly 
prejudiced  at  one  time  upon  the  ministerial  side,  but  with  an  earnest, 
desire  to  determine  the  right  of  the  controversy,"  "  resolved  to  cast " 
his  "  lot  with  the  Colonies." 

New  York,  at  this  time,  was  in  full  possession  of  the  Tories  ;  even 
the  Assembly  had  become  ministerial,  by  a  slight  majority  ;  and  the 
patriots  resolved  upon  a  mass  meeting,  which  was  called  for  the  pur- 
pose of  arousing  and  advancing  public  sentiment  to  the  support  of  the 
Colonies.  It  was  held  in  "The  Fields,"  or  Common,  upon  July  6, 
1774.  This  was  the  meeting  referred  to  in  the  preceding  chapter,  at 
which  Hamilton  was  present  as  a  spectator.  At  its  close,  at  the  earnest 
suggestion  of  some  friends,  he  made  his  way  to  the  platform,  and  in  a 
tremulous  voice,  asked  the  vast  audience  to  listen  to  him  for  five  min- 
utes. His  sudden  appearance,  unheralded  and  unaccompanied,  his. 
unknown  face,  diminutive  stature,  boyish  countenance,  and  diffidence, 
evoked  much  astonishment  at  first  ;  but  as  he  proceeded,  the  people 
crowded  about  him,  and  applauded  his  utterances,  which  gave  him  re- 
newed confidence,  when  his  whole  nature  asserted  itself,  and  for  more 
than  an  hour,  he  held  the  closest  attention  of  the  multitude,  by  his 
sound  reasoning,  clear  logic,  and  powerful,  passionate  eloquence. 
When  he  closed,  the  audience  seemed  wild  with  enthusiasm,  and  curi- 
osity to  know  him,  and  speak  with  him,  became  universal.  His  friend,. 
Troup,  who  was  present,  shouted  :  "  It  is  Hamilton,  the  West  Indian!" 
"  The  Collegian !"  and  the  mingled  cheers  of  thousands  went  up  for 
"  Hamilton,  the  Collegian  !"  This  was  the  commencement  of  his  famous, 
career.  He  soon  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  military  sciences  and 
tactics,  writing  meanwhile  several  essays  upon  the  principles  of  govern- 
ment, which  were  published  anonymously. 

Public  sentiment,  in  those  days,  was  chiefly  moulded  through  the 
medium  of  pamphlets,  posters,  and  the  limited  columns  of  the  news- 
papers. He  was  a  frequent  contributor,  and  published  some  masterly 
arguments  in  opposition  to  an  able  paper,  written  from  a  Tory  stand- 
point, against  further  resistance,    by  the  Colonies,  authorship  of  which 


Charactef^istics 


was  generally  accredited  to  the  President  of  his  college,  Dr.  Cooper. 
An  instance  of  his  regard  for  law  and  order,  and  his  skill  and  manli- 
ness in  saving  the  old  Tory  doctor's  scalp  from  contusion,  at  the  hands 
of  an  angry  crowd  of  Liberty  Boys,  of  which  he  (I  lamilton)  was  a 
member,  is  worthy  of  record.  The  otficers  of  the  British  man-of-war 
"Asia,"  then  in  the  harbor,  in  order  to  test  the  range  of  her  guns,  and 
being  not  overscrupulous  as  to  consequences,  fired  a  few  shots  into  the 
city,  which  produced  the  wildest  commotion.  The  Liberty  Boys 
assembled,  and  in  their  indignation  attacked  and  punished  some  of  the 
ministerial  adherents,  who  manifested  the  temerity  to  publicly  justify 
the  outrage.  Prominent  among  the  Crown's  defenders  was  the  vener- 
able Dr.  Cooper.  "To  the  College!"  shouted  the  Sons  of  Liberty. 
When  they  arrived,  Hamilton  and  his  friend  Troup  were  seated  in  the 
vestibule  of  the  building,  engaged  in  an  earnest  argument  upon  the  all- 
absorbing  subject  with  the  old  President,  who,  seeing  the  crowd,  re- 
treated within  for  safety.  Hamilton  advanced  to  the  front  steps  and 
began  to  address  the  people,  advising  submission  to  law,  and  ap- 
pealing to  them  to  let  the  old  man  alone,  as  he  was  laboring  to  con- 
vert him,  and  had  some  hopes  of  success.  During  his  speech  the  old 
President  raised  an  upper  window,  and  looking  down  upon  the  crowd, 
being  unconscious  of  Hamilton's  efforts  in  his  behalf,  exclaimed  : 
"  Don't  believe  anything  Hamilton  says  ;  he's  a  little  fool!"  Upon  a 
similar  occasion,  he  interceded  to  save  the  life  of  one  Thurman  from 
the  hands  of  the  Travis  mob,  and  at  another  time  volunteered  to  lead 
a  company  of  citizens  to  recover  a  printing  press  that  had  been  capt- 
ured from  Rivington,  a  Tory  printer.  Such  was  his  regard  for  the 
legal  or  lawful  rights  of  others,  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to  chide  and 
check  his  own  party  in  unseemly  indulgences,  or  excesses,  of  the 
character  just  mentioned. 

In  1776  the  New  York  Convention  ordered  an  artillery  company  to 
be  recruited,  and  Hamilton,  then  nineteen  years  of  age,  made  applica- 
tion, among  others,  for  the  command,  which  was  given  him  ;  the  com- 
petitive examination  having  shown  that  he  was  further  advanced  in 
military  knowledge  than  every  other  applicant.  Shortly  after  his  ap- 
pointment, and  during  the  period  when  he  was  drilling  and  disciplining 
his  company  for  service,  he  wrote  an  article,  embracing  his  views  upon 
the  methods  of  conducting  the  war,  which  seems  to  have  been  closely 
followed  through  the  whole  campaign,  A  brief  extract  is  the  fol- 
lowinpr 


'to 


Let  it  be  remembered  that  there  are  no  immense  plains  upon  which  the  contending 
armies  may  meet  to  decide  the  contest  by  a  single  decisive  stroke,  or  where  any  advantage 
gained  by  either  side  must  be  prosecuted  till  a  complete  victory  is  obtained.     The  cir- 


80 


Wis    F  I  R^s  T    Battles 


cumstances  put  it  in  our  power  to  evade  a  pitched  battle.  It  Mill  be  better  policy  to 
harrass  and  exhaust  the  soldiery  by  frequent  skirmishes  and  incursions,  than  to  take  the 
open  field  with  them,  by  which  means  they  would  have  the  full  benefit  of  their  superior 
regularity  and  skill.  Americans  are  better  qualified  for  that  kind  of  fighting,  which  is 
better  adapted  to  the  country,  than  regular  troops.  Should  the  soldiery  advance  into  the 
country,  as  they  would  be  obliged  to  do,  if  they  had  any  inclination  to  subdue  us,  their 
discipline  would  be  of  little  use  to  them. 

Whatever  may  be  our  opinion  of  the  disciplined  troops  of  Britain,  the  result  of  the 
contest  must  be  extremely  doubtful.     There  is  a  certain  enthusiasm  in  liberty  that  makes 

human  nature  rise  above  itself,  in  acts  of  bravery  and  heroism From  these 

and  other  reflections,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  America  will  be  able  to  support  its 
freedom,  even  by  the  force  of  arms,  if  she  be  not  betrayed  by  her  own  sons. 

Thus,  in  youth,  and  hope,  with  pen  and  sword,  Hamihon,  at  the 
head  of  his  httle  command  of  one  hundred  men,  entered  the  conflict. 
His  first  experience,  in  the  disastrous  struggle  on  Long  Island,  where, 
in  covering  a  retreat,  he  displayed  such  coolness  and  courage,  in 
keeping-  Lord  Howe  at  bay  ;  thereby  saving  the  army  ;  he  gave  proof 
of  his  value  or  fitness  for  emergencies.  His  only  losses  were  one 
man,  one  gun,  and  all  his  baggage.  The  next  encounter  was  at  White 
Plains,  where  his  battery  supported  the  extreme  right  of  the  American 
lines,  being  posted  upon  Chatterton's  Hill,  where,  for  two  days,  it  did 
signal  execution.  The  losses  upon  both  sides  were  about  three  hund- 
red killed,  and  twice  that  number  were  wounded  or  disabled.  This  was 
another  retreat  for  the  Americans,  though  Lord  Howe,  who  com- 
manded the  British  troops,  manifested  no  desire  to  pursue  them,  and 
two  days  afterward  withdrew  his  forces  to  New  York. 

Washington  moved  the  greater  number  of  his  troops  to  North 
Castle,  and  Hamilton  encamped  upon  the  heights  at  Dobbs'  Ferry,  to 
await  further  orders.  A  few  days  afterward.  Fort  Washington  was 
captured,  when  Hamilton  wrote  Washington,  offering  to  retake  it,  if  he 
would  furnish  him  five  hundred  infantry,  to  operate  in  conjunction  with 
his  battery,  but  Washington  feared  to  incur  the  risk,  with  the  existing 
depleted  condition  of  his  forces,  and  again  petitioned  Congress  to  fur- 
nish him  more  men  and  munitions  of  war.     And  Congress  promised! 

"And  the  reapers  reaped,  and  the  sun  fell. 
And  all  the  land  was  dark." 

While  Washington  was  defending  himself  as  best  he  could,  in  the 
hope  that  reinforcements  would  be  furnished,  the  enemy  were  actively 
concentrating  upon  his  front,  and  a  movement  was  ordered  toward 
New  Jersey  ;  the  British  following.  A  stand  was  made  at  Brunswick, 
which  resulted  in  another  repulse  to  the  American  arms,  their  rear 
being  protected  by  Hamilton's  battery,  which  gave  Howe  and  Corn- 
wallis  much  annoyance.     It  was  as  a  fly  upon  the  British  nose  ;  too 


Member    of    Washington's    ^taff.  81 

alert  for  capture  ;  but  scrxccl  1  laniillon's  prc;viousIy  cUh  larcd  purpose 
of  "  harrassing  the  eneni}-,"  while  it  retarded  materially  the  progress 
of  the  British  infantry  in  their  attempts  to  force  a  premature  engage- 
ment. An  unbroken  line  of  successes  had  so  emboltlened  the  Britons 
that  they  rushed  onward  to  Princeton  and  Trenton,  where  they  met 
the  first  reverses,  and  realized  that  the  issues,  or  fate  of  battles,  did  not 
always  rest  with  the  heaviest  artillery. 

"  Well  do  I  remember  the  day."  said  a  friend,  "  when  Hamilton's  company  marched 
into  Princeton.  It  was  a  model  of  discipline  ;  at  its  head  was  a  boy  ;  I  wmulered  at  his 
youth  ;  but  what  was  my  surprise  when  informed  tiiat  he  was  the  writer  antl  fighter, 
Hamilton,  of  whom  so  much  had  been  heard." 

Another  officer  relates  :  "I  noticed  a  youth,  a  mere  stripling  of  a  boy,  so  small, 
slender,  and  delicate  in  appearance,  trudging  along  beside  a  piece  of  artillery,  with  a 
cocked  hat  pulled  down  over  his  eyes,  apparently  abstracted  in  thought,  with  one  hand 
supporting  a  sabre  and  the  other  resting  upon  the  cannon,  patting  it  every  few  moments, 
as  if  it  were  a  favoiite  horse,  or  a  pet  plaything."* 

Six  months  of  fatigue  and  hard  fighting,  including  the  brilliant  suc- 
cesses at  Princeton  and  Trenton,  found  him  with  a  command  reduced 
to  twenty-five  men,  with  three  guns. 

Nor  had  he  been  idle  with  his  pen.  Letters  to  Clinton,  Livingston 
and  others  had  been  published,  exposing  the  dangers  that  beset  the 
cause,  and  urging  upon  Congress  some  action  to  avert  them.  And 
Congress  debated,  and  promised  as  usual,  but  nothing  more  was  ac- 
complished. 

Upon  March  i,  1777,  just  after  passing  his  twentieth  birthday,  he 
received,  unexpectedly  and  unsolicited,  from  Washington,  the  commis- 
sion of  Aid-de-Camp  to  the  Commander-in-Chief,  with  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  In  an  interview  with  Washington  he  declined  it, 
expressing  a  preference  to  remain  as  a  line  officer  in  any  command 
where  his  services  could  be  available;  but  the  Commander  assured  him 
that  he  needed  him  more,  and  in  obedience  to  his  request,  he  entered 
upon  this  new  field  of  duty.  His  immense  labors  during  the  next  four 
years,  in  this  position,  are  familiar  to  every  reader  of  history.  He 
was  present  at  all  the  battles  in  which  the  army  took  part,  planning 
and  directing,  in  the  name  of  his  chief,  many  of  the  engagements,  and 
was  the  principal  confidant  and  counselor  of  Washington  in  the  many 
intricate,  delicate  and  responsible  duties  that  were  necessarily  thrust 
upon  him.  In  the  Commander's  name  he  frequently  importuned  Con- 
gress, to  remember  its  proinises,  and  provide  the  army  with  the  moral 
and  material  support  and  succor  which  was  essential  to  its  progress  and 
continuance,  and  upon  its  neglect  or  failure  to  furnish  the  proper  aid, 

*  Irving's  Life  of  Washington. 


«2 


CoNGR^Ess     IN     Peril. 


he  appealed  directly,  or  in  person,  to  the  people  of  Philadelphia,  and 
other  cities,  which  were  still  held  by  our  armies,  to  obtain  food  and 
clothingr  for  their  vital  needs. 

While  returning  from  Philadelphia  to  the  headquarters  of  the  army, 
he  learned  that  the  British  troops  were  concentrating  for  the  purpose 
of  capturing  that  city,  and  wrote  to  John  Hancock,  the  President  of 
Congress,  as  follows  : 

If  Congress  have  not  yet  left  Philadelphia,  they  ought  to  do  it  immediately,  for  the 
enemy  have  the  means  of  throwing  a  party  into  the  city.  I  have  just  crossed  Valley 
Ford,  in  doing  which,  a  portion  of  the  enemy  came  to  the  river  front  and  fired  upon  us, 
while  in  the  boat,  by  which  means  one  of  my  men  was  killed  and  another  wounded. 
My  horse  was  also  killed.  We  were  not  able  to  secure  the  boat,  so  it  must  fall  into  their 
hands,  as  will  also  another  boat,  each  of  which  is  capable  of  transporting  fifty  persons 
at  one  time,  so  that  in  a  few  hours  the  enemy  will  be  able  to  forward  sufilcient  troops  to 
overpower  what  militia  may  be  between  them  and  the  city.  This  renders  the  situation  of 
Congress  extremely  precarious,  though  I  am  in  hope  that  our  army  will  be  up  with  the 
enemy  before  they  cross  the  Schuylkill,  in  which  event  something  serious  will  ensue. 

Congress  acted  immediately  upon  this  information,  and  adjourned 
to  Lancaster,  some  sixty  miles  distant.  A  gallant  fight  was  made  for 
the  defence  of  the  city,  as  the  results  of  the  battle  of  Germantown 
showed  that  over  five  hundred  British  were  killed  and  wounded,  but 
the  American  loss  was  nearly  twice  that  number,  and  about  four  hund- 
red were  taken  prisoners. 

Philadelphia  was  now  lost ;  and  upon  the  same  day  Admiral  Howe, 
with  a  fleet  of  war  ships,  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware.  It  be- 
came evident  to  Washington  that  Fort  Mifflin  was  their  objective 
point,  and  that  Philadelphia  could  not  be  held  by  the  enemy,  unless 
they  could  obtain  and  hold  possession  of  the  Delaware.  A  conference 
with  Hamilton  in  the  evening  resulted  in  a  demand  upon  Greene,  who 
was  then  at  Red  Bank,  for  a  detachment  of  his  forces,  to  aid  in  keeping 
possession  of  the  fort. 

The  following  letter  discloses  the  serene  confidence  that  Washing- 
ton reposed  in  the  ability  and  faithfulness  of  his  Aid-de-Camp,  in  arrang- 
ing the  details  for  the  engagement,  and  directing  the  plan  of  action  : 

Headquarters, 

October  15,   1777, 

1 1   o'clock,   at  night. 
Sir  : 

I  am  persuaded  by  intelligence  from  different  quarters,  that  the  enemy  are  determined 
to  endeavor,  by  a  speedy  and  vigorous  efi"ort,  to  carry  Fort  IMifllin,  and  for  this  purpose 
are  preparing  a  considerable  force.  Their  attempt  will  probably  be  sudden  and  violent, 
as  they  are  hardly  in  a  situation  to  delay  a  matter  so  essential  to  them,  as  that  of  remov- 
ing the  river  obstructions.      It  is  of  infinite  importance  to  disappoint  their  intentions  in 


Inst  r^u  ctions     to     pREENE.  83 

tliis  iiislnncc,  as  tlioir  kccpiiiij^  or  inaciKiting  I'liil.ulrl[iliia  iiuitcii.illy  dcpciuls  upon  their 
Jiaving  the  communication  with  their  shipjiing  iniiufcUalcly  opened,  and  it  is  not  unhkely 
they  may  despair  of  eflcctinji;  it,  if  they  should  fail  in  tlie  pusli,  wliicli  I  ima;,nne  they  are 
now  about  to  make.  Colonel  Smith's  present  fi)rce  is  not  as  great  as  could  be  wished, 
and  recpiires  to  be  augmented,  to  put  him  in  a  condition  to  make  an  cflfectual  opposition. 
I  would,  therefore,  have  you  detach  immediately  as  large  a  ])art  of  your  force  as  you 
})0ssibly  can  in  aid  of  his  garrison.  I  cannot  well  determine  what  proportion.  This 
must  be  regulated  by  circumstances  and  appearances  ;  but  my  jiresent  idea  is  that  the 
principal  part  should  go  to  his  assistance.  To  enable  you  the  better  to  have  a  respectable 
reinforcement,  1  have  directeil  Ceneral  Nc\vcoml)e  to  semi  his  brigade  of  militia  to  Red 
Bank,  or  so  many  of  them  as  he  can  prevail  ui)on  to  go.  Colonel  Angell  will  also  march 
surely  to-morrow  morning,  to  join  you  with  his  regiment.  The  garrisons  and  fleets  may 
be  informed  of  these  succors  by  way  of  keeping  up  their  s])irits.  1  would  not  have  you 
trust  to  the  troops  in  the  neighborhood  of  your  post,  as  these,  in  case  of  an  investiture, 
will  fail  you,  which  makes  it  prudent  to  have  a  sufBcient  number  of  huts  beforehand  jire- 
pared  within  the  fort. 

I  hoj)e,  ami  doubt  not,  you  will  keep  fully  in  mind  the  prodigious,  importance  of  not 
suflcring  the  enemy  to  get  entire  possession  of  the  Delaware,  and  will  spare  no  pains  nor 
activities  to  frustrate  their  efforts  for  that  purpose.  Be  watchful  on  every  quarter,  and 
industrious  in  stopping  every  avenue  by  which  you  are  assailed.  Be  cautious  not  to  pay 
too  much  attention  to  any  one  part  of  your  work,  and  neglect  the  others  ;  but  take  every 
precaution  to  strenthen  the  whole,  for  otherwise  the  greater  danger  may  be  where  you 
least  expect  it.  I  am,  Sir, 

Your  most  obd'  Gen' 

N.  B.  The  above  letter  was  written  by  His  Excellency's 
orders,  but  as  he  went  to  bed  before  it  was  finished,  it  will 
be  handed  you  without  his  signature. 

Alex.   Hamilton,  A.  D.  C. 
Col.   G:<f.ene, 

Commanding  Officer, 

Red  Bank. 

This  letter  revealed  a  most  unfortunate,  aad  discouraging  condition 
of  affairs  at  the  very  outset  of  the  campaign.  The  little  army  was  divided 
into  squads  for  defensive  purposes,  and  was  scattered  over  a  vast  area 
of  territory,  which  made  it  difficult  to  concentrate,  any  considerable 
number,  for  an  emergency.  Nor  couki  any  post  be  called  upon  for  rein- 
forcements, without  danger  of  sacrificing  its  possession  to  the  enemy. 
Nor  could  the  militia  be  relied  upon  for  loyal  service.  It  will  also  be 
remembered  that  Congress  —  that  so-called  legislative  body  —  which 
was  then  on  wheels,  assumed  to  manage,  or  direct,  the  weicjhtier  mili- 
tary  matters  and  movements,  graciously  granting  to  W^ashington  some 
discretionary  powers,  as  to  details  and  the  selection  of  officers.  That 
Congress  was  an  assemblage  of  thirteen  different  and  differing  factions, 
representing  so  many  separate,  discordant,  independent  states,  or  com- 
munities, each  envious  or  jealous  of  the  other's  assumed  importance; 
all  imbued  with  a  desire  to  shirk  or  evade  their  proportionate  shares  of 


84 


Cong  r^e  ssional     Shortcomings, 


the  duties  and  responsibilities  devolving  upon  them,  and  possessingr 
no  authority  or  power  to  bind  or  compel  it,  in  the  fortunate  event  of 
any  concerted  action  or  legislation,  to  carry  out  a  single  promise  or 
obligation,  which  they  might  collectively  assume. 

This  was  the  "  Continental  Congress,"  (so  called,)  with  which  it  was 
Washington's  fate  to  wrestle.  The  trite  proverb  :  "  Not  worth  a  Con- 
tinental," would  seem  to  have  been  derived  as  appropriately  from  any 
other  act  of  general  legislation,  as  from  the  issue  of  the  Continental 
Currency,  which  this  effluvial  organization  assumed  to  foster  and  then 
foisted  upon  the  people. 

It  is  a  doubtful  justification,  to  allege  that  the  Congress  did  the  best 
that  the  opportunities  afforded.  Among  its  members  were  men  of  su- 
perior intellect  and  undoubted  patriotism,  and  though  they  were  in  the 
minority,  they  did  not  hesitate  to  warn,  continually,  the  people  of  the 
states  of  the  consequences  and  dangers  of  its  irresolution,  w-ant  of 
harmony,  or  of  their  neglect  to  invest  it  with  the  necessary  powers  to 
make  its  legislation  practical  and  efficient. 

Governeur  Morris,  then  a  member  of  that  body,  wrote  to  John  Jay 
in  the  following^  terms  : 

The  mighty  Senate  of  America  is  not  what  you  have  known  it.  Laurens,  its  Presi- 
dent, says  :  "A  most  shameful  deficiency  in  this  branch  is  the  greatest  evil,  and  is  indeed 
the  source  of  almost  all  our  evils."  If  there  is  not,  speedily,  a  resurrection  of  able  men, 
and  of  that  virtue  which  I  thought  to  be  genuine  in  seventy-five,  we  are  gone. 

General  Greene  also  writes  : 

A  horrid  faction  has  been  forming  to  ruin  His  Excellency,  our  General,  and  others. 
Ambition,  how  boundless  !  Ingratitude,  how  prevalent !  See  upon  what  a  monstrous 
principle  our  General  is  persecuted. 

Hamilton,  writing  to  Governor  Clinton  upon  the  same  subject,  states 
with  crushing  force  : 

There  is  a  matter  which  often  obtrudes  itself  upon  my  mind,  and  which  requires  the 
attention  of  every  person  of  sense  and  influence  among  us  ;  I  mean  a  degeneracy  of 
representation  in  the  Great  Council  of  America.  It  is  a  melancholy  truth,  sir,  the  effects 
of  which  we  daily  see  and  feel,  that  there  is  not  so  much  wisdom  in  a  certain  body  as 
there  ought  to  be,  and  as  the  success  of  our  affairs  absolutely  demands.  Many  members 
of  it  are,  no  doubt,  men  in  every  respect  fit  for  the  trust;  but  this  cannot  be  said  of  it  as 
a  body.  Folly,  caprice,  a  want  of  foresight,  comprehension  and  dignity,  characterize  the 
general  tenor  of  their  actions.  Of  this  I  dare  say  you  are  sensible,  though  3-ou  have  not 
perhaps  so  many  opportunities  of  knowing  it  as  I  have.  Their  conduct  with  respect  to 
the  army  especially,  is  fickle,  indecisive,  and  improvident,  insomuch  that  we  are  reduced 
to  a  more  terrible  situation  than  you  can  conceive.  False  and  contracted  views  of  econ- 
omy have  j)rcvcntcd  them,  though  repeatedly  urged  to  it,  from  making  that  provision  for 
officers,  which  was  requisite  to  interest  them  in  the  service.     This  has  produced  such 


Jealousies    and    Conspi  r^a  c  i  e  s  .  86 

carelessness  aiul  inililll-icncc  to  the  service  as  is  subversive  of  every  ofTicer-like  cjuality. 
They  have  disgusted  tiic  army  by  repeated  instances  of  the  most  whimsical  favoritism  in 
their  promotions,  and  by  an  obscure  prodigality  of  rank  to  foreigners,  and  to  the  meanest 
stair  in  the  army.  They  have  not  been  al)le  to  summon  resolution  enough  to  withstand 
the  iinputient  importunity  and  vain  boasting  of  foreign  jiretenders,  but  have  manifested 
such  ductility  and  inconstancy  in  their  proceedings  as  will  warrant  the  charge  of  suffering 
themselves  to  be  bullied  by  every  petty  adventurer  who  comes  around  witli  ostentatious 
pretentions  of  military  merit  and  cxjieriencc.  Would  you  believe  it,  Sir,  it  is  become 
almost  proverbial  in  the  mouths  of  French  officers  and  other  foreigners,  that  they  have 
nothing  more  to  cK)  to  obtain  wliatevcr  tliey  ])lease,  than  to  assume  a  higii  tone  and  assert 
their  own  merit  with  confidence  and  perseverance.  These  things  wound  my  feelings  as  a 
republican  more  than  I  can  express,  and  in  some  degree  make  me  contemptible  in  my 
own  eves.  America  once  had  a  representation  that  would  do  honor  to  any  age  or  nation. 
The  present  falling  off  is  very  alarming  and  tlangcrous.  What  is  the  cause,  and  how  is 
it  to  be  remedied  ?  are  questions  that  the  welfare  of  these  States  require,  should  be  well 
attended  to.  The  great  men  who  composed  our  first  Council  —  are  they  dead.?  Have 
they  deserted  the  cause,  or  what  has  become  of  them  ?     .      .      .     . 

Each  State,  in  order  to  promote  its  own  internal  government  and  prosperity,  has  selec- 
ted its  best  members  to  fill  the  offices  within  itself,  and  conduct  its  own  affairs.  IMen 
have  been  fonder  of  the  emoluments  and  conveniences  of  being  employed  at  home ;  and 
local  attachments,  falsely  operating,  have  made  them  more  provident  for  the  particular 
interest  of  the  States,  to  which  they  belonged,  than  for  the  common  interests  or  the  Con- 
federacy. This  is  a  most  pernicious  mistake,  and  must  be  corrected.  However  import- 
ant it  is  to  give  form  and  efficiency  to  your  interior  constitutions  and  police,  it  is  infi- 
nitely more  important  to  have  a  wise  General  Council;  otherwise  a  failure  of  the  measures 
of  the  Union  will  overturn  all  your  labors  for  the  advancement  of  your  particular  good 
and  ruin  the  common  cause.  You  should  not  beggar  the  councils  of  the  United  States 
to  enrich  the  administration  of  the  several  members.  Realize  to  yourselves  the  conse- 
quences of  having  a  Congress  despised  at  home  and  abroad.  How  can  the  common 
force  be  exerted,  if  the  power  of  collecting  it  be  put  into  weak,  foolish  and  unsteady  hands? 
How  can  we  hope  for  success,  if  the  nations  of  Europe  have  no  confidence  in  the  wisdom 
and  vigor  of  the  great  Continental  Government  ?  This  is  the  object  on  which  their  eyes 
are  fixed  ;  hence  it  is  that  America  will  derive  importance  or  insignificance  in  their  esti- 
mation. 

You  and  I  had  some  conversation  at  our  last  interview  concerning  the  existence  of  a 
certain  faction.  Since  then  I  have  discovered  such  convincing  traits  of  the  monster  * 
that  I  cannot  doubt  its  reality  in  the  most  extensive  sense.  I  dare  say  you  have  seen  and 
heard  enough  to  settle  the  matter  in  your  own  mind.  I  believe,  it  unmasked  its  batteries 
too  soon  and  begins  to  hide  its  head,  but,  as  I  imagine,  it  will  only  change  the  storm  to 
a  sap  ;  all  the  true  and  sensible  friends  to  their  country,  and,  of  course,  to  a  certain  great 
man,  ought  to  be  upon  the  watch  to  counter-plot  the  secret  machinations  of  his 
enemies. 

These  are  the  sentiments  of  a  young  man  who  had  just  passed  the 
twenty-first  anniversary  of  his  birth,  who  had  been  a  resident  barely 
six  years,  but  who  could  lash  with  tongue  and  pen,  and  sword,  every 
enemy  of  his  county,  whether  within  or  without  her  Councils.  Scores 
of  letters  upon  this  subject,  addressed  to  friends,  are  still  in  existence. 

*A  conspiracy  against  Washington. 


86  Pleading    with     Gates. 

At  a  later  period  he  writes  : 

We  must  have  a  government  with  more  power.  We  must  have  a  tax  in  kind.  We 
must  have  a  foreign  loan.  We  must  have  a  bank  on  the  true  principles  of  a  bank.  We 
must  have  an  adminidralion  distinct  from,  Congress,  and  in  the  hands  of  single  men — 
under  their  orders.  We  must,  above  all  things,  have  an  army  for  the  war,  and  an 
establishment  that  will  interest  the  officers  in  the  service. 

Thus ,  while  occupied  with  the  details  of  military  movements, 
his  mind  was  also  busy  with  the  problems  which  peace  would  bring. 
The  great  project  of  civil  government ;  of  finance,  and,  when  success 
and  peace  should  be  assured,  to  devise  honorable,  feasible  means  for 
the  relief  of  the  country  from  the  seemingly,  interminable  embarrass- 
ment, resulting  from  the  chronic  chaotic  condition  of  civil  and  military 
affairs,  were  subjects  uppermost  in  his  thoughts  and  desires. 

His  profound  knowledge  of  men  —  his  remarkable  tact  for  diplomacy, 
were  strikingly  exemplified  when  commissioned  by  Washington  to 
visit  General  Gates,  at  Albany,  with  the  authority  to  obtain  the  with- 
drawal of  a  portion  of  the  latter's  forces  for  the  relief  or  reinforcement 
of  Washington's  command,  which  had  become  depleted,  by  long, 
arduous  service,  to  such  an  extent  that,  if  forced  into  an  immediate 
engagement,  defeat  would  have  been  inevitable,  and  annihilation 
probable. 

To  accomplish  this  object,  not  only  without  giving  direct  offense 
and  precipitating  insubordination  throughout  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
New  England  troops,  but  to  win  Gates'  cordial  assent,  and  enlist  his 
active  support  of  the  measure,  was  a  task  requiring  far  more  than 
mechanical  or  clerical  effort,  and  particularly  when  we  consider  the 
strained  relations  which  then  existed  between  Washington  and  Gates. 
The  former  possessed  undoubted  authority  and  control  over  the 
entire  command  of  the  latter,  but  reasons  were  obvious  for  avoiding 
recourse  to  arbitrary  methods,  except  as  a  dernier  resort.  Hamilton 
was,  however,  provided  with  a  peremptory  order  written  by  himself  and 
signed  by  Washington,  directing  Gates  to  transfer,  upon  its  presenta- 
tion, two  divisions  of  his  army.  Gates — a  man  of  weak,  vain,  revenge- 
ful, jealous  nature  —  was,  at  this  particular  time  being  feted, 
flattered  and  lionized  by  the  people  of  New  England,  by  reason  of  the 
victory  achieved  over  Burgoyne's  troops,  an  affair  with  which  Gates  had 
little  to  do,  except  that,  being  nominally  in  command,  he  assumed  the 
credit  for  the  result,  completely  ignoring  in  his  report  of  it,  to  Congress, 
the  mention  of  Arnold,  who  was  the  actual  leading  spirit  of  the  whole 
engagement. 

History  has  seized  upon   this   sinuous  assumptive   report  and  made 
of  the  treacherous,  designing  Gates,  another  Revolutionary  hero. 


Letter^to     Washington.  87 

Hamilton  accomplished  his  purpose  without  presenting  the  order, 
and  the  account  ol  his  interview  with  Gates,  the  latter's  reluctance,  sub- 
sequent promises,  and  niggardly  compliance,  etc.,  are  full)'  set  forth  in 
the  former's  letter  to  Washington  : 

Albany,   N.  Y.,  November  5tli. 
Dear   Gkneral  : 

I  arrived  here  yesterday,  at  noon,  and  waited  upon  General  Gates  immediately  on 
the  business  of  my  mission,  but  was  sorry  to  find  his  idea  did  not  correspond  with  yours, 
for  drawing  off  the  number  of  troops  you  directed.  I  used  every  argument  in  my  power 
to  convince  him  of  the  propriety  of  the  measure,  but  he  was  inllcxible  in  the  opinion  that 
two  brigades,  at  least,  of  continental  troops  should  remain  in  and  near  this  place.  His 
reasons  were,  that  the  intelligence  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  having  gone  to  join  Howe,  was 
not  sufficiently  authenticated  to  put  it  out  of  doubt;  that  there  was,  therefore,  a  possi- 
bility of  his  returning  up  the  river,  which  might  expose  the  finest  arsenal  in  America,  (as 
he  calls  the  one  here),  to  destruction,  should  this  place  be  left  so  bare  of  troops  as  I  pro- 
posed, and  that  the  want  of  convenience  and  the  difficulty  of  the  roads  would  make  it 
impossible  to  remove  artillery  and  stores  for  a  considerable  time  ;  that  the  New  England 
States  would  be  left  open  to  the  depredations  and  ravages  of  the  enemy  ;  that  it  would 
put  it  out  of  his  power  to  enterprise  anything  against  Ticonderoga,  which  he  thinks 
might  be  done  in  the  winter,  and  which  he  considers  it  of  importance  to  undertake. 

The  force  of  these  reasons  did  by  no  means  strike  me  ;  and  I  did  everything  in  my 
power  to  show  that  they  were  unsubstantial  ;  but  all  I  could  effect  was,  to  have  one 
brigade  despatched,  in  addition  to  those  already  marched.  I  found  myself  infinitely 
embarrassed,  and  was  at  a  loss  how  to  act.  I  felt  the  importance  of  strengthening  you 
as  much  as  possible  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  found  insuperable  inconvenience  in  acting 
diametrically  opposite  to  the  opinion  of  a  gentleman  whose  successes  have  raised  him  to 
the  highest  importance. 

General  Gates  has  won  the  entire  confidence  of  the  Eastern  States.  If  disposed  to  do 
it,  by  addressing  himself  to  the  prejudices  of  the  people,  he  would  find  no  difficulty  to 
render  a  measure  odious,  which,  it  might  be  said  with  plausibility  enough  to  be  believed, 
was  calculated  to  expose  them  to  unnecessary  dangers,  notwithstanding  their  exertions 
during  the  campaign  had  given  them  the  fullest  title  to  repose  and  security.  General 
Gates  has  influence  and  interest  elsewhere  ;  he  might  use  it,  if  he  pleased,  to  discredit  the 
measure  there  also.  On  the  whole,  it  appeared  to  me  dangerous  to  insist  on  sending 
more  troops  from  hence,  while  General  Gates  appeared  so  warmly  opposed  to  it.  Should 
any  accident  or  inconvenience  happen  in  consequence  of  it,  there  would  be  too  fair  a 
pretext  for  censure,  and  many  people  are  too  well  disposed  to  lay  hold  of  it.  At  any 
rate,  it  might  be  considered  as  using  him  ill,  to  take  a  step  so  contrary  to  his  judgment 
in  a  case  of  this  nature.  These  considerations,  and  others  which  I  shall  be  more  explicit 
in  when  I  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  determined  me  not  to  insist  upon  sending 
either  of  the  other  brigades  remaining  here.  I  am  afraid  what  I  have  done  may  not  meet 
with  your  approbation,  as  not  being,  perhaps,  fully  warranted  by  your  instructions  ;  but  I 
ventured  to  do  what  I  thought  right,  hoping  that  at  least,  the  goodness  of  my  intention 
will  excuse  the  error  of  my  judgment. 

I  was  induced  to  this  relaxation  the  more  readily,  as  I  had  directed  to  be  sent  on  two 
thousand  militia  which  were  not  expected  by  you,  and  a  thousand  continental  troops  out 
of  those  proposed  to  be  left  with  General  Putnam,  which  I  have  written  to  him,  since  I 
found  how  matters  were  circumstanced  here,  to  forward  to  you  with  all  despatch.  I  did 
this  for  several  reasons:  —  because  your  reinforcement  would  be  more  expeditious  from 


88  Gates'     Duplicity. 

that  place  than  from  this ;  because  two  thousand  continental  troops  at  Peekskill,  especially 
as  it  was  really  necessary  to  have  a  body  of  continental  troops  at  this  place  for  the  secu- 
rity of  the  valuable  stores  here,  and  I  should  not,  if  I  had  my  wish,  think  it  expedient  to 
draw  off  more  than  two  of  the  three  brigades  now  here. 

This  being  the  case,  one  of  the  ends  you  proposed  to  be  answered,  by  leaving  the  ten 
regiments  with  General  Putnam,  will  be  equally  answered  by  the  troops  here; — I  mean  that 
of  covering  and  fortifying  the  Eastern  States  ;  and  one  thousand  continental  troops  in 
addition  to  the  militia  collected  here,  will  be  sufficient  in  the  Highlands  for  covering  the 
country  down  that  way,  and  carrying  on  the  works  necessary  to  be  raised  for  the  defence 
of  the  river. 

The  troops  gone  and  going  to  reinforce  you,  are  near  five  thousand  rank  and  file  con- 
tinental troops,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  mili- 
tia. These,  and  the  seven  hundred  Jersey  militia,  will  be  a  larger  reinforcement  than  you 
expected,  though  not  quite  an  equal  number  of  continental  troops,  nor  exactly  in  the 
way  directed.  General  Lincoln  tells  me,  the  militia  are  very  excellent,  and  though  their 
times  will  be  out  by  the  last  of  this  month,  you  will  be  able,  if  you  think  proper  to  order 
the  troops  still  remaining  here  to  join  you  by  the  time  their  term  of  service  expires. 

I  cannot  forbear  being  uneasy  lest  my  conduct  should  prove  displeasing  to  you,  but  I 
have  done  what,  considering  all  circumstances,  appeared  to  me  most  eligible  and  pru- 
dent. Vessels  are  preparing  to  carry  the  brigade,  to  New  Windsor,  which  will  embark 
this  evening.  I  shall  this  afternoon  set  out  on  my  return  to  camp,  and  on  my  way 
will  endeavor  to  hasten  the  troops  forward. 

Disappointed  in  the  orders  issued  by  Gates,  Hamilton  (in  pursuance 
of  the  requisition  of  the  Commander-in-chief)  addressed  him  on  the 
5th  of  November,  prior  to  his  departure  from  Albany,  in  the  following 
decisive  terms  : 

By  inquiry,  I  have  learned  that  General  Paterson's  brigade,  which  is  the  one  you  pro- 
pose to  send,  is  by  far  the  weakest  of  the  three  nowhere,  and  does  not  consist  of  more  than 
about  six  hundred  rank  and  file  fit  for  duty.  It  is  true,  that  there  is  a  militia  regiment 
with  it  of  about  two  hundred,  but  the  time  of  service  for  which  this  regiment  is  engaged 
is  so  near  expiring,  that  it  would  be  past  by  the  time  the  men  could  arrive  at  their 
destination. 

Under  these  circumstances,  I  cannot  consider  it  either  as  compatible  with  the  good 
of  the  service,  or  my  instructions  from  His  Excellency  General  Washington,  to  consent 
that  this  brigade  be  selected  from  the  three  to  go  to  him,  but  I  am  under  the  necessity 
of  desiring,  by  virtue  of  my  orders  from  him,  that  one  of  the  others  be  substituted  in- 
stead of  this  ;  General  Nixon's  or  General  Glover's,  and  that  you  will  be  pleased  to  give 
immediate  orders  for  its  embarkation. 

Knowing  that  General  Washington  wished  me  to  pay  the  greatest  deference  to  your 
judgment,  I  ventured  so  far  to  deviate  from  the  instructions  he  gave  me,  as  to  consent, 
in  compliance  with  your  opinion,  that  two  brigades  should  remain  here  instead  of  one. 
At  same  time,  permit  me  to  observe,  that  I  am  not  myself  sensible  of  the  expediency  of 
keeping  more  than  one,  with  the  detached  regiments  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  place, 
and  that  my  ideas  coincide  with  those  gentlemen  whom  I  have  consulted  on  the  occasion, 
whose  judgment  I  have  much  more  reliance  upon  than  my  own,  and  who  must  be  sup- 
posed to  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  circumstances.  Their  opinion  is,  that 
one  brigade  and  the  regiments  before  mentioned  would  amply  answer  the  purpose  of  this 
post.     When  1  preferred  your  opinion  to  other  considerations,  I  did  not  imagine  you 


A     Contest    with      "Old    Put."  89 

would  pitch  upon  a  brigade  lilllc  more  than  half  as  large  as  the  others,  and,  finding  this 
to  he  the  case,  I  indispensably  owe  it  to  my  duty,  to  desire,  in  His  Excellency's  name, 
that  another  may  go,  instead  of  the  one  intended,  and  without  loss  of  time.  As  it  may 
be  conducive  to  despatch,  to  send  Glover's  brigade ;  if  agreeable  to  you,  you  will  give 
orders  accordingly. 

Hamilton's  persistence  and  determination  finally  prevailed,  and 
Gates  reluctantly  issued  the  necessary  orders  for  the  transfer  of  Glover's 
brigade.  Though  the  former's  object  had  been  accomplished,  he  still 
distrusted  Gates  and  declined  to  return  until  he  saw  the  brigade  actually 
in  motion  upon  its  way  to  Washington's  relief  While  en  route  to  Al- 
bany he  stopped  at  New  Windsor  and  requested  General  Putnam,  in 
command  of  that  post,  to  forward  a  detachment  of  one  thousand  troops 
immediately  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Mifflin.  "  Old  Put,"  as  his  admirers 
familiarly  called  him,  was  another  dilatory,  consequential,  chieftain  whose 
fame,  as  a  wolf  hunter,  and  whose  equestrian  antics,  are  the  wonder  of 
children  and  are  destined  to  live  in  history  long  after  his  modern 
emulators  of  the  "Buffalo-Bill"  variety  will  have  passed  into  oblivion. 
Hamilton  returned  by  way  of  New  Windsor  to  acquaint  himself  more 
thoroughly  with  Putnam's  intentions  and  movements.  He  announced 
^  his  arrival  by  sending  Putnam  a  note  as  follows  : 

I  cannot  forbear  confessing  that  I  am  astonished  and  alarmed  beyond  measure  to 
find  that  all  His  Excellency's  views  have  been  hitherto  frustrated  and  that  no  single  step 
of  those  I  mentioned  to  you  has  been  taken  to  offer  him  the  aid  he  absolutely  stands  in 
need  of,  and  by  delaying  which,  the  cause  of  America  is  put  to  the  utmost  conceivable 
hazard How  this  non-compliance  can  be  answered  to  General  Wash- 
ington, you  can  best  determine.  I  now,  sir,  in  the  most  explicit  terms,  give  it  as  a  posi- 
tive order  from  him,  that  all  the  continental  troops  under  your  command  may  be 
immediately  marched  to  King's  Ferry,  there  to  cross  the  river,  and  hasten  to  reinforce 
the  army  under  him 

He  then  wrote  Washington  as  follows  : 


?> 


I  am  pained  beyond  expression  to  inform  Your  Excellency  that  on  my  arrival  here,  I 
find  everything  has  been  neglected  and  deranged  by  General  Putnam  and  that  the  two 
brigades.  Poor's  and  Learned's,  still  remain  here  and  on  the  oiher  side  of  the  river  at  Fish- 
kill.  Colonel  Warren's  militia,  I  am  told,  have  been  drawn  to  Peekskill,  to  aid  in  an  ex- 
pedition against  New  York,  which  it  seems,  is,  at  this  time  the  hobby-horse  with  Gen- 
eral Putnam.  Not  the  least  attention  has  been  paid  to  my  order,  in  your  name, 
for  a  detachment  of  one  thousand  men  from  the  troops  hitherto  stationed  at  this  post. 
Everything  is  sacrificed  to  the  whim  of  taking  New  York.  .  .  .  My  opinion  is,  that 
the  only  present  use  for  troops  in  this  quarter  is  to  protect  the  country  from  litttle  plun- 
dering parties  and  for  carrying  on  the  river  defences.  It  is  wasting  time  and  misapply- 
ing men  to  employ  them  in  the  suicidal  parade  against  New  York,  for  in  this  it  will, 
undoubtedly,  terminate.  I  wish  that  General  Putnam  was  recalled  from  the  command  of 
this  post,  and  that  Governor  Clinton  would  accept  it  —  the  blunders  and  caprices  of  the 
former  are  endless 


90 


Putnam     Rebuked, 


The  vigorous  style  of  Hamilton's  letter  to  Putnam  raised  the  ire  of 
the  old  Wolf-killer,  who  had  indulged  himself  in  the  belief  that  with 
the  five  thousand  troops  at  his  disposal,  he  would,  in  a  few  days,  be  able 
to  circumvent  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  capture  the  City  of  New  York  with 
one-half  the  British  army  that  he  believed  were  quartered  there,  but 
which  had,  in  reality,  been  sent  to  the  Division  of  the  Delaware  to 
reinforce  General  Howe.  He  endeavored  to  persuade  Hamilton  that 
this  was  the  proper  way  to  conduct  the  campaign  and  wind  up  the 
war  summarily.  He,  finally,  gave  the  necessary  orders  for  the  movement 
of  the  troops,  but  it  was  then  too  late  to  save  Fort  Mifflin,  which 
was,  undoubtedly,  sacrificed  by  this  unfortunate  delay.  He  wrote 
Washington,  complaining  of  the  manner  and  directness  with  which 
Hamilton  was  pursuing  him,  also  enclosing  a  copy  of  Hamilton's  letter 
and  received  the  following  reply : 

General  Putnam, 

Sir:  The  urgency  of  Col.  Hamilton's  letter  was  owing  to  his  knowledge  of  our 
wants  in  this  quarter  and  to  a  certainty  that  there  was  no  danger  to  be  apprehended  from 
New  York,  if  you  sent  all  the  continental  troops  there  with  you  and  waited  to  replace 
them  by  those  expected  down  the  river.  I  cannot  but  say  there  has  been  more  delay  in 
the  march  of  the  troops  than  I  think  necessary,  and  I  could  wish  that,  in  future,  my  orders 
be  immediately  complied  with  without  arguing  upon  the  propriety  of  them.  If  any  acci- 
dent ensues  from  obeying  them  the  fault  will  be  upon  me  and  not  upon  you. 

Respectfully, 

G.    Washington, 

General. 

A  short  time  afterward,  General  Putnam  was  relieved  from  his 
special  command  and  ordered  to  join  the  main  army.  Subsequently, 
he  was  sent  to  Connecticut,  where  he  was  prostrated  by  a  stroke  of 
paralysis,  which  prevented  him  from  taking  any  further  conspicuous 
part  in  the  service. 

"  Had  the  reinforcements  arrived  ten  days  sooner,"  Washington 
writes  to  his  brother,  "  I  believe  Fort  Mifflin  might  have  been  saved, 
which  would  have  rendered  Philadelphia  a  very  ineligible  situation  for 
General  Howe  this  winter."  Such  were  the  quiet  subdued  terms  which 
Washington  employed  to  characterize  the  follies  and  inaction  of  Gates 
and  Putnam. 

Hamilton  was  warmly  congratulated  and  highly  complimented,  upon 
his  return  to  camp,  by  Washington,  upon  the  success  of  his  efforts 
with  these  twin  chieftains,  even  at  the  cost  of  these  delays  and 
their  consequences,  and  was  soon  dispatched  upon  a  similar  mission  to 
Newport,  where  he  again  acquitted  himself  with  great  energy,  tact  and 
discretion. 


A    Weart    of    Flesh 


91 


There  was  another  phase  or  fount  of  Hamilton's  remarkable  nature, 
constantly  revealiner  sentiments,  as  tender,  delicate  and  sympathetic 
as  woman's.  It  was  his  lot  to  convey  to  the  wife  of  Benedict  Arnold, 
the  first  crushint^  intellioence  of  the  perfidy  of  her  husband,  to  console 
her  in  her  lone  grief,  and  also  to  provide  for  her  removal  beyond  the 
American  lines.  How  delicately  this  task  was  performed  must  be  evi- 
denced by  his  letters  upon  the  subject,  addressed  to  Miss  Schuyler,  the 
daughter  of  General  Schuyler,  of  Albany,  whom  he  met  while  execut- 
ing the  orders  to  Gates,  and  who,  in  the  following  year,  became  his 
wife.  His  correspondence  relating  to  the  capture  and  fate  of  Andre  is 
of  a  similar  nature,  portions  of  which  are,  as  follows  : 

Dear  Miss  Schuyler 

Concerning  the  plot  of  Arnold  —  as  soon  as  he  learned  that  the  facts  had  become 
known,  he  immediately  fled  to  the  enemy.  I  went  in  pursuit  of  him,  but,  was  much  too 
late.  Upon  my  return,  I  found  an  amiable  woman,  frantic  with  distress  for  the  loss  of  a 
husband,  she  tenderly  loved  —  a  traitor  to  his  country  and  to  his  fame  —  a  disgrace  to 
his  connections  ;  it  was  the  most  affecting  sight  I  have  ever  witnessed.  For  a  consider- 
able time  she  entirely  lost  herself  The  General  *  went  up  to  see  her  and  she  upbraided 
him  with  being  in  a  plot  to  murder  her  child.  One  moment  she  raved,  at  another,  she 
melted  into  tears.  Then  she  would  press  her  infant  to  her  bosom  and  lament  its  fate  in 
tones  and  manner  that  would  have  pierced  insensibility  itself.  All  the  purity  of 
character,  the  loveliness  of  innocence,  all  the  tenderness  of  a  wife,  and  all  the  fondness 
of  a  mother,  showed  themselves  in  her  appearance  and  conduct.  This  morning  I  again 
visited  her  and  find  her  more  composed.  I  have  endeavored  to  soothe  her  by  every 
method  in  my  power,  though  you  can  imagine  she  is  not  easily  to  be  consoled.  Added 
to  her  other  distresses  she  is  very  apprehensive  that  the  resentments  of  her  countrymen 

will  fall  upon  her    (who  is  only  unfortunate)  for  the  guilt  of  her  husband 

I  have  wished  myself  her  brother,  that  I  might  have  a  right  to  become  her  defender  ;  as 
it  is,  I  have  entreated  her  to  enable  me  to  give  her  proofs  of  my  friendship.  Could  I 
forgive  Arnold  for  sacrificing  his  honor,  reputation,  and  duty,  I  could  not  forgive  him 
for  acting  a  part  that  must  have  forfeited  the  esteem  of  so  noble  a  woman.  At  present, 
she  almost  forgets  his  crime  in  his  misfortunes  ;  and  her  horror  at  the  guilt  of  the  traitor, 
is  lost  in  her  love  of  the  man.  But  a  virtuous  mind  cannot  long  esteem  a  base  one,  and 
time  will  make  her  despise,  if  it  cannot  make  her  hate 

From  one  of  his  letters,  written  at  Tappan,  October  2,  1780,  where 
Andre  was  confined,  the  following  is  copied : 

Poor  Andre  suffers  to-day.  Everything  that  is  noble  in  virtue,  in  fortitude,  in  senti- 
ment, pleads  for  him,  but  hard-hearted  policy,  demands  the  sacrifice.  He  must  die. 
I  must  inform  you  that  I  have  urged  a  compliance  with  Andre's  request  to  be  shot,  and 
do  not  think  it  would  have  any  ill  effect,  but  some  are  sensible  only  to  motives  of  policy, 
and  even  then,  sometimes,  from  a  narrow  disposition,  mistake  it.  When  Andre's  tale 
comes  to  be  told  in  the  future,  and  present  resentment  shall  be  past,  the  refusing  him  the 
privilege  of  choosing  the  manner  of  his  death,  will  be  regretted. 


*  Washington. 


92  Gates'Sho  ::^J■  comings. 

It  has  been  proposed  to  me  to  suggest  to  him  the  idea  of  an  exchange  for  Arnold,  but 
I  know  I  would  have  forfeited  his  esteem  by  doing  it,  and,  therefore,  declined.  As  a 
man  of  honor,  which  his  letter*  and  entire  conduct  showed  him  to  be,  he  could  not  but 
reject  it,  and  I  would  not,  for  the  world,  propose  to  him  a  thing  which  would  place  me 
in  the  unenviable  light  of  supposing  him  capable  of  a  meanness,  or  of  not  feeling  myself 
the  impropriety  of  such  a  measure.  I  confess  to  you,  I  have  the  weakness  to  value  the 
esteem  of  a  dying  man,  because  I  reverence  his  merit. 

The  necessarily  slow  progress  which  the  army  was  making  amid 
obstacles  that  were  insuperable,  awakened  bitter  discontent  among  the 
more  impulsive  or  impetuous  officers,  and  this  fact  was  made  a  pretext, 
by  such  conspirators  as  Gates,  Conway,  Lee  and  others,  to  importune 
Congress  to  "  On  to  Richmond  "  or  to  establish  a  Department  of  the 
South,  which  was  in  reality  a  scheme  to  further  embarrass  and  cripple 
Washington,  by  dividing  the  military  forces,  or  separating  them  so 
effectively,  that  concentration  would  be  impossible,  in  any  emergency 
that  might  arise.  Gates  and  his  cohorts  possessed  more  influence  with 
the  legislative  body  than  did  Washington,  consequently,  the  "  Depart- 
ment of  the  South "  was  organized,  and  Gates  was  unanimously 
selected  by  Congress  for  the  command.  Washington  and  Hamilton 
protested,  and  Hamilton  wrote  to  several  members,  urging  that  Greene 
might  be  substituted,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  costly  experiment  was 
tried  and  the  results  are  chronicled  by  Hamilton  in  a  letter  to  Duane, 
(a  member  of  Congress),  on  the  6th  of  September  ;  as  follows  : 

I  have  heard  of  Gates'  defeat,  a  very  good  comment  on  the  necessity  of  changing  our 
system.  His  passion  for  militia,  I  fancy,  will  be  a  little  cured,  and  he  will  cease  to  think 
them  the  best  bulwark  of  American  liberty.  What  think  you  of  the  conduct  of  this 
great  man  ?  I  am  his  enemy,  personally,  therefore,  what  I  say  of  him,  ought  to  be 
received  as  from  an  enemy,  and  have  no  more  weight  than  is  consistent  with  fact  and 
common  sense.  But  did  ever  any  one  hear  of  such  a  disposition  or  such  a  flight !  His 
best  troops  placed  on  the  side  strongest  by  nature,  his  worst,  on  that  weakest  by  nature, 
and  his  attack  made  in  this  manner  !  'Tis  impossible  to  give  a  more  complete  picture  of 
military  absurdity.  It  is  equally  against  the  maxims  of  war  and  common  sense.  We 
see  the  consequences  ;  his  Left  ran  away  ;  leaving  his  Right  uncovered.  His  right  wing, 
turned  on  the  left,  has  in  all  probability,  been  cut  off,  though  in  truth,  the  General  seems 
to  have  known  very  little  of  what  became  of  his  army.  Had  he  placed  his  militia  on  his 
right,  supported  by  the  morass,  and  his  Continental  troops  on  his  left,  where  he  was  most 

TAri'A.N,  October  ist,  17S0. 
General  George  Washington, 

Sir:  Buoyed  above  the  terror  of  death  by  the  consciousness  of  a  life  devoted  to  honour.-ible  pursuits 
and  stained  with  no  action  that  can  give  me  remorse,  I  trust  that  the  request  I  make  to  Your  Excellency 
at  this  serious  period,  and  which  is  to  soften  my  last  moments  will  not  be  rejected. 

Sympathy  towards  a  soldier  will  surely  induce  Your  Excellency  and  a  Military  Tribunal  to  adapt  the 
mode  of  my  death  to  the  feelings  of  a  man  of  honour. 

Let  me  hope  if  aught  in  my  character  impresses  you  with  esteem  toward  me,  if  aught  in  my  misfortunes 
marks  me  as  the  victim  of  policy,  and  not  of  resentment,  I  shall  experience  the  operation  of  these  feelings 
in  your  breast,  by  being  informed  that  I  am  not  to  die  upon  a  gibbet  John  Andre. 


Wamilton's      Marr^iage. 


98 


vulnerable,  his  right  would  have  been  more  secure  and  his  left  would  have  opposed  the 
enemy  ;  and,  instead  of  going  backward,  lie  would  h.ive  gone  forward.  The  reverse  of 
what  lias  happened  might  have  happened.  Jkil  was  there  ever  an  instance  of  a  (Jcneral 
running  away,  as  (Jalcs  has  done,  from  his  whole  army  !  And  was  there  ever  so  i)recipi- 
tous  a  llight?  One  hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  three  and  one-half  days  !  !  It  docs 
admirable  credit  to  the  activUy  of  the  man,  at  his  time  of  life.  But  it  disgraces  the  Gen- 
eral and  the  Soldier  I  I  always  believed  him  to  be  very  far  short  of  a  Hector  or  a  Ulysses. 
All  the  world,  I  think,  will  begin  to  agree  with  me.  But  what  will  be  done  by  Congress  ? 
Will  he  be  changed  or  not?  If  he  is  changed,  for  God's  sake,  overcome  prejudice  and 
send  Greene. 

This  pungent  criticism  and  satire  of  Hamilton's  was  read  to  the 
members  of  Congress,  and  after  the  usual  delays;  when  the  opportunity 
for  retrieving  the  disaster  had  passed,  Gates  was  superseded  by  Greene, 
who  ultimately  collected  the  demoralized  and  scattered  fragments  of  the 
Militia  and  Continentals,  and  brought  them  back  to  headquarters. 

Attention  is  here  called  to  Hamilton's  first  surrender.  It  was  in  an- 
other field.  Despite  the  rigors  of  war,  with  its  attending  train  of  inevit- 
able disheartening  disasters;  with  no  prospects  of  promotion,  and,  am- 
bitious only  for  the  success  of  the  cause  ;  surrounded  by  conspirators; 
baffled  by  opposing  legislative  sentiment ;  humiliated  by  poverty  and 
alone  in  the  world ;  thus,  while  enveloped  and  seemingly  overwhelmed 
with  the  perplexities  and  uncertainties  of  the  present  and  future,  he 
kept  hope  ;  cultivated  the  social  virtues,  and  ultimately  succumbed  to 
the  elevating,  refining,  influences  of  the  tender  passion. 

He  was  married  December  14,  1780,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  General  Philip  Schuyler,  who  was  one  of  the  bravest,  most  generous 
and  most  highly-respected  members  of  that  ancient  family  of  Knicker- 
bockers. Hamilton's  surrender  was  a  conquest.  He  had  now  won  for 
a  wife,  a  charming,  brilliant  and  accomplished  woman,  and  the  relations 
thus  formed,  gave  him  a  prestige  and  position  that  were  of  inestimable 
value  to  him  in  his  future  career.  He  was  no  longer  an  adventurer  —  a 
wanderer  —  or  an  isolated  being,  with  no  home,  except  the  camp  ;  and 
no  friend  or  confident,  other  than  Washington.  He  had  become  allied 
with  one  of  the  oldest,  wealthiest  and  most  influential  families  of  that  time. 
He  cared  nothing  for  money,  but  possessed  entire  confidence  in  his  own 
abilities  to  earn  enough,  at  any  time,  to  satisfy  his  necessities.  General 
Schuyler  was  proud  of  his  attainments,  and  offered  him  financial  assist- 
ance in  the  event  of  his  resigning  his  position  and  entering  upon  the 
duties  of  civil  life.  He  was  averse  to  this,  so  long  as  the  war  lasted. 
His  marital  relations,  however,  seem  to  have  changed  his  aspira- 
tions or  course  of  thought  for  the  future.  He  was  no  longer  content 
with  the  position  of  a  subordinate,  and  longed  for  an  opportunity,  where 
his  military  talents  might  be  employed,  seemingly,  to  greater  advantage. 


94 


Solicits     a     Command 


He  broached  the  subject  to  Washington,  who  manifested  much  reluct- 
ance at  the  idea  of  dispensing  with  his  services.  Washington's  whole 
course,  since  the  battle  of  Germantown  had  been  a  net-work  of 
difficulties  —  a  humiliating  chapter  of  policy  and  expedients  such  as 
no  other  commander  would  have  brooked  so  silently  and  patiently.. 
He  reminded  Hamilton  of  the  swarms  of  unworthy  staff  officers,, 
foreign  and  native,  who  were  scheming  with  Congress  and  with  one 
another  in  their  scrambles  for  promotion,  and  argued,  that  to  give 
Hamilton,  (notwithstanding  his  experience  and  superior  ability),  an 
independent  command  over  this  uncanny  horde,  would  but  invite  insub- 
ordination ;  defy  the  rules  of  promotion  as  established  by  Congress, 
and,  perhaps,  result  in  his  own  dismissal  as  Commander-in-chief.  This 
stupid  theory  of  promotion  was  naturally  galling  to  Hamilton,  as  well  as 
to  other  able  and  meritorious  officers  whose  services,  for  this  reason,, 
could  be  made  of  no  avail,  and  the  result  of  which  was,  the  prolonga- 
tion of  the  war  with  all  its  accumulating  evils.  Recriminations  and 
mutinies  were  becoming  alarmingly  frequent,  among  line  and  staff 
officers,  for  which  there  appeared  to  be  no  remedy,  except  an  appeal 
to  Congress,  which  Hamilton  and  others  resolved  to  make.  His 
letters  to  various  members  upon  this  subject,  are  voluminous  and  unan- 
swerable. He  continued  in  his  position,  with  the  mental  determination 
that  if  a  proper  opportunity  occurred,  he  would  renew  his  request,  even 
at  the  hazard  of  the  consequences  suggested  and  feared  by  his  Com- 
mander. Two  months  passed,  and  bring  us  to  another  important, 
decisive  step  in  his  military  career.  For  nearly  four  years  he  had  been 
a  valued,  indispensable  member  of  Washington's  military  family.  No 
word  of  censure  or  displeasure  had  ever  passed  between  them. 
No  one  knew  Washington  —  his  greatness  or  his  foibles,  so  well  as 
Hamilton.  None  knew  Hamilton's  characteristics  better  than  Wash- 
ington. Through  years  of  sunless  days  and  starless  nights,  in  camp 
and  field  ;  amid  mutual  sacrifices  and  dangers  ;  in  seasons  when  arrows 
of  obloquy,  unjust  reproach,  and  foul  conspiracies  were  rife  and 
threatening  to  wreck  the  best  efforts  and  usefulness  of  the  Commander, 
and  the  success  of  the  cause  ;  in  successive  battles  whose  smoke  clouds 
leaden  with  defeat,  seemed  to  shut  out  the  face  and  favor  of  Omnipotence; 
— through  all  these  perils  they  had  stood  together,  and  were  now  about 
to  separate  ;  —  but  not  as  lovers  part — ;  nor  as  the  sun  takes  leave  of  day. 
There's  a  strong  flavor  of  the  tragic,  dramatic  and  ludicrous  about  that 
remarkable  scene  in  the  New  Windsor  house,  on  the  morning  of  the 
1 6th  of  February,  1781.  Let  the  reader  fancy  the  portly,  ponderous 
form,  and  florid  visage  of  Washington,  while  standing  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  in  full  Continental  dress,  looking  down  upon  the  little  dark- 


"]4a 


IL       AND       pAREWELL."  95 


c)ctl  West  Indian,  and  exclaiming- in  his  rage —  in  thunder  tones  :  "Sir, 
you  have  kept  nie  waiting  at  the  head  of  these  stairs,  these  ten  minutes! 
I  must  tell  you,  sir,  )ou  treat  me  with  disrespect"!  'Ihen  picture  the 
boyish,  fragile,  graceful  figure  of  Hamilton,  w'ho  stops,  in  astonishment, 
at  this  outburst ;  while  midway  in  ascent,  and,  peering  upward  into  the 
flushed  face  of  offended  dignity,  responds  with  quiet  demeanor  :  "  I  am 
not  conscious  of  it,  sir  ;  but  since  you  have  thought  it  necessary  to  tell 
me  so,  we  part"!  Not  an  interrogation  as  to  the  cause  of  delay,  nor 
any  explanation  or  apology  therefor.  The  minuter  particulars  of  this 
little  incident,  are  depicted  by  Hamilton,  two  days  later,  in  a  letter  to 
his  father-in-law  which,  together  with  the  latter's  reply,  are  here  pro- 
duced : 

Headquarters,  New  Windsor,  Feb.  i8,  1781, 
My  Dear  Sir  : 

Since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  writing  you  last,  an  unexpected  change  has  taken  place  in 
my  situation.  I  am  no  longer  a  member  of  the  General's  family.  This  information 
will  surprise  you,  and  the  manner  of  the  change  will  surprise  you  more.  Two  days  ago 
the  General  and  I  passed  each  other  on  the  stairs  ;  —  he  told  me  he  wanted  to  speak  to 
me, —  I  answered  that  I  would  wait  upon  him  immediately.  I  went  below  and  delivered 
Mr.  Tilghman  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  the  Commissary,  containing  an  order  of  a  pressing 
nature.  Returning  to  the  General,  I  was  stopped  on  the  way  by  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette, 
and  we  conversed  together  about  a  minute  on  a  matter  of  business.  He  can  testify  how 
impatient  I  was  to  get  back,  and  that  I  left  him  in  a  manner,  which,  but  for  our  intimacy, 
would  have  been  more  than  abrupt.  Instead  of  finding  the  General,  as  is  usual,  in  his 
room,  I  met  him  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  where,  accosting  me  in  an  angry  tone : 
"Colonel  Hamilton,"  said  he,  "you  have  kept  me  waiting  at  the  head  of  these  stairs  these 
ten  minutes  ;  —  I  must  tell  you,  sir,  you  treat  me  with  disrespect!"  I  replied,  without 
petulancy,  but,  with  decision  :  "I  am  not  conscious  of  it,  sir,  but  since  you  are,  or  have 
thought  it  necessary  to  tell  me  so,  we  part !  "  "Very  well,  sir,"  said  he,  "if  it  be  your 
choice,"  or  something  to  this  effect,  and  we  separated.  I  sincerely  believe  that  my  ab- 
sence, which  gave  so  much  umbrage,  did  not  last  two  minutes.  In  less  than  an  hour 
after,  Tilghman  came  to  me  in  the  General's  name,  assuring  me  of  his  great  confidence 
in  my  abilities,  integrity,  usefulness,  and  of  his  desire,  in  a  candid  conversation,  to  heal  a 
difference  which  could  not  have  happened  but  in  a  moment  of  passion.  I  requested  Mr. 
Tilghman  to  tell  him:  ist.  That  I  had  taken  my  resolution  in  a  manner  not  to  be 
revoked.  2d.  That  as  a  conversation  could  serve  no  other  purpose  than  to  produce 
explanations  mutually  disagreeable,  though  I  certainly  would  not  refuse  an  interview  if  he 
desired  it,  yet  I  would  be  happy  if  he  would  permit  me  to  decline  it.  3rd.  That  though 
determined  to  leave  the  family,  the  same  principles  which  had  kept  me  so  long  in  it  would 
continue  to  direct  my  conduct  towards  him  when  out  of  it.  4th.  That,  however,  I  did 
not  wish  to  distress  him,  or  the  public  business  by  quitting  him  before  he  could  acquire 
other  assistance  by  the  return  of  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  were  absent.  5th.  And 
that  in  the  meantime,  it  depended  on  him  to  let  our  behavior  to  each  other  be  the  same 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  He  consented  to  decline  the  conversation,  and  thanked  me 
for  my  offer  of  continuing  my  aid  in  the  manner  I  had  mentioned. 

I  have  given  you  so  particular  a  detail  of  our  difference,  from  the  desire  I  have  to 
justify  myself  in  your  opinion.  Perhaps  you  may  think  I  was  precipitate  in  rejecting  the 
overture  made  by  the  General  to  an  accommodation.    I  assure  you,  my  dear  sir,  it  was  not 


96 


Explanation     to     Schuyler^. 


the  effect  of  resentment ;  it  was  the  deliberate  result  of  maxims  I  had  long  formed  for 
the  government  of  my  own  conduct. 

I  always  disliked  the  office  of  an  Aide-de-camp  as  having  in  it  a  kind  of  personal 
dependence.  I  refused  to  serve  in  this  capacity  with  two  Major-Generals  at  an  earlier 
period  of  the  war.  Infected,  however,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  times,  an  idea  of  the 
General's  character  overcame  my  scruples,  and  induced  me  to  accept  his  invitation  to 
enter  into  his  family.  ...  It  has  been  often,  with  great  difficulty,  that  I  have  pre- 
vailed upon  myself,  not  to  renounce  it,  but  while  from  motives  of  public  utility,  I  was 
doing  violence  to  my  feelings,  I  was  always  determined,  if  there  should  ever  happen  a 
breach  between  us,  never  to  consent  to  an  accommodation.  I  was  persuaded  that  when 
once  that  nice  barrier  which  marked  the  boundaries  of  what  we  owe  to  each  other,  should 
be  thrown  down,  it  might  be  propped  up  again,  but  could  never  be  restored. 

The  General  is  a  very  honest  man  ;  —  his  competitors  have  slender  abilities  and  less 
integrity.  His  popularity  has  often  been  essential  to  the  safety  of  America,  and  is  still 
of  great  importance  to  it.  These  considerations  have  influenced  my  past  conduct  re- 
specting him  and  will  influence  my  future  ; — I  think  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  be 
supported. 

His  estimation  in  your  mind,  whatever  may  be  its  amount,  I  am  persuaded  has  been 
formed  on  principles  which  a  circumstance  like  this  cannot  materially  affect ;  but  if  I 
thought  it  could  diminish  your  friendship  for  him,  I  should  almost  forego  the  motives  that 
urge  me  to  justify  myself  to  you.  I  wish  what  I  have  written  to  make  no  other  impres- 
sion than  to  satisfy  you  I  have  not  been  in  the  wrong.  It  is  also  said  in  confidence;  as  a 
public  knowledge  of  the  breach  would,  in  many  ways,  have  an  ill  effect.  It  will,  proba- 
bly, be  the  policy  of  both  sides  to  conceal  it  and  cover  the  separation  with  some  plausible 
pretext.  I  am  importuned  my  such  of  my  friends  as  are  privy  to  the  affair,  to  listen  to  a 
reconciliation,  but  my  resolution  is  unalterable. 

As  I  cannot  think  of  quitting  the  army  during  the  war,  I  have  a  project  of  re-entering 
the  artillery,  by  taking  Lieutenant-Colonel  Forest's  place ;  who  is  desirous  of  retiring  on 
half  pay.  I  have  not,  however,  made  up  my  mind  upon  this  head,  as  I  should  be 
obliged  to  come  in  the  youngest  Leiutenant-Colonel  instead  of  the  oldest  which  I  ought 
to  have  been,  by  natural  succession,  had  I  remained  in  the  corps  ;  and,  at  the  same  time, 
to  resume  studies  relative  to  the  profession,  which,  to  avoid  inferiority,  must  be 
laborious. 

If  a  command  in  the  campaign  in  the  light  infantry  should  offer  itself,  I  shall  balance 
between  this  and  the  artillery.  My  situation  in  the  latter  would  be  more  solid  and  per- 
manent; but  as  I  hope  the  war  will  not  last  long  enough  to  make  it  progressive,  this 
consideration  has  less  force.     A  command  for  the  campaign  would  leave  me  the  winter  to 

prosecute  studies  relative  to  my  future  career  in  life I  have  written 

you  upon  this  subject  with  all  the  freedom  and  confidence  to  which  you  have  a  right,  and 
with  an  assurance  of  the  interest  you  take  in  all  that  concerns  me. 

Faithfully  yours,  Alex  Hamilton. 

General  Schuyler's  prompt  response  was  in  every  way  worthy  of 
the  man  and  the  patriot  he  proved  himself  to  be  from  the  first  to 
the  last : 

My  Dear  Sir  : 

Last  night  your  favor  of  the  eighteenth  was  delivered  to  me.  I  confess  the  contents 
surprised  and  afflicted  me  —  not  that  I  discover  any  impropriety  in  your  conduct  in  the 
alfair  in  question,  for  of  that,  I  persuade  myself,  you  are  incapable  ;  but  as  it  may  be  at- 


Schuyler^' s     Response, 


97 


tended  with  consequences  prejudicial  to  my  country  which    I   love  —  which    I    adcction- 
ately  love. 

As  no  event  tending  to  its  detriment  can  he  beheld  by  me  with  indifference,  I  should 
esteem  myself  culpable  were  I  silent  on  this  occasion  ;  and  must,  therefore,  entreat  your 
attention.  A  candid  and  favorable  construction  I  ask  not  for  ;  —  that  I  am  certain  I 
shall  have. 

Long  before  I  had  the  least  intimation  that  you  intended  that  connection  with  my 
family  which  is  so  very  pleasing  to  me,  and  which  affords  me  such  e.xtreme  satisfliction,  I 
had  studied  your  character  and  that  of  the  other  gentlemen  who  composed  the  General's 
family.  I  thought  I  discovered  in  all,  an  attention  to  the  duties  of  their  stations,  in  some 
a  considerable  degree  of  ability,  but,  (without  a  compliment,  for  I  trust  there  is  no 
necessity  of  that  between  us),  in  you,  only,  I  found  those  qualifications  so  essentially 
necesssary  to  the  man  who  is  to  aid  and  counsel  a  Commanding  General,  environed  with 
difficulties  of  every  kind,  and  those,  perhaps,  of  greater  magnitude  than  any  other  has 
ever  had  to  encounter,  —  whose  correspondence  must,  of  necessity,  be  extensive  and  fre- 
quently so  delicate  as  to  require  great  judgment  to  be  properly  managed. 

The  public  voice  has  confirmed  the  idea  I  had  formed  of  you  ;  but  what  is  most  con- 
soling to  me  and  more  honorable  to  you, — men  of  observation,  genius  and  judgment 
think  as  I  do  on  the  occasion.  Your  quitting  your  station  must,  therefore,  be  productive 
of  very  material  injuries  to  the  public ;  and  this  consideration,  exclusive  of  others,  im- 
pels me  to  wish  that  the  unhappy  breach  should  be  closed,  and  a  mutual  confidence 
restored.  You  may  both  of  you  imagine  when  you  separate,  that  the  cause  will  remain 
a  secret ;  but  I  venture  to  speak  decidedly  and  say  it  is  impossible.  I  fear  the  effect, 
especially,  with  the  French  officers,  with  the  French  Minister,  and  even  with  the  French 
Court.  These  already  observe  too  many  divisions  among  us.  They  know  and  acknowl. 
edge  your  abilities  and  how  necessary  your  services  are  to  the  General.  Indeed,  how  will 
the  loss  be  replaced  ? 

It  is  evident,  my  dear  sir,  that  the  General  conceived  himself  the  aggressor  and  that 
he  quickly  repented  of  the  insult.  He  wished  to  heal  "a  difference  which  would  not 
have  happened  but  in  a  moment  of  passion.''  It  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  men  to  pass 
through  life  without  seeing  one  of  those  unguarded  moments  in  which  they  may  have 
wounded  the  feelings  of  a  friend.  Let  us,  then,  impute  them  to  frailties  of  human  nature 
and  with  Sterne's  recording  angel,  drop  a  tear,  and  blot  it  out  of  the  page  of  life.  I  do 
not  mean  to  reprehend  the  maxims  you  have  formed  for  your  conduct.  They  are  lauda- 
ble, and,  though  generally  approved,  yet  times  and  circumstances  sometimes  render  a 
deviation  necessary  and  justifiable.  This  necessity  now  exists  in  the  situation  of  your 
country.  Make  the  sacrifice.  The  greater  it  is,  the  more  glorious  to  you.  Your  ser- 
vices are  wanted  in  that  particular  station  which  you  have  already  filled  so  ably.  I  thank 
you  for  your  last  which  I  did  not  answer,  concluding  you  were  gone  to  Rhode  Island. 

Hamilton,  notwithstanding  the  entreaties  of  General  Schuyler,  re- 
mained true  to  his  declared  purpose,  though  he  did  not  leave  the  staff 
until  the  30th  of  April,  nearly  three  months  after  the  occurrence  before 
noted.  During  these  months  he  was  as  active  as  formerly,  devoting 
brain,  tongue  and  pen  to  the  advancement  of  the  cause.  One  of  his  first 
acts  after  this  affair  was  the  formulation  of  a  series  of  instructions,  by 
direction  of  Washington,  to  General  Lafayette,  concerning  the  cam- 
paign against  Arnold,  upon  which  Lafayette  was  just  entering.  An 
extract  only,  is  here  given  : 


98 


Mis     Last     Battle. 


When  you  arrive  at  your  destination,  you  must  act  as  your  own  judgement  dictates 
and  as  the  circumstances  may  direct.  You  are  to  do  no  act  whatever  with  Arnold  that 
directly,  or  by  implication,  may  screen  him  from  the  punishment  due  to  his  treason  or 
desertion,  which,  if  he  should  fall  into  your  hands,  you  will  execute  in  the  most  sum- 
mary way. 

Hamilton's  final  retirement  from  the  staff  would,  he  believed,  furnish 
the  long-coveted  opportunity  to  obtain  from  Congress  a  military  com- 
mission, that  he  might  devote  his  energies  and  talents  to  greater  ad- 
vantage. Lafayette  had  written  him  frequently,  asking  that  he  would 
solicit  an  assignment  to  his  department.  His  wishes  were  soon  grati- 
fied by  the  receipt  of  a  commission  from  Congress,  and  the  assignment 
to  a  command  in  Virginia.     He  wrote  to  his  wife  a  few  days  afterward: 

I  have  taken  command  of  my  corps  and  Major  Fish  is  with  me.  I  prize  him  both  as 
a  friend  and  an  officer.  ...  In  a  former  letter  I  informed  you  that  there  was  a 
greater  prospect  of  activity  than  before.  I  did  this  to  prepare  your  mind  for  an  event 
which  I  am  sure  will  give  you  pain.  I  begged  your  father,  at  the  same  time,  to  intimate 
to  you  by  degrees  the  probability  of  its  taking  place.  ...  I  am  pained  because  I 
am  to  be  so  remote  from  you  ;  because  I  am  to  hear  from  you  less  frequently  than  I  am 
accustomed  to  do.  I  am  miserable  because  I  know  you  will  be  so.  But  I  cannot  ask 
permission  to  visit  you.  It  would  be  improper  to  leave  my  corps  at  such  a  time  and  upon 
such  an  occasion.  ...  At  all  events  our  operations  will  be  over  by  the  latter  end 
of  October  and  I  will  then  fly  to  my  home. 

At  a  later  period  he  writes  to  his  wife  : 

To-morrow  we  embark  for  Yorktown  and  I  cannot  refuse  myself  the  pleasure  of 
writing  you  a  few  lines.  .  .  I  would  give  the  world  to  be  able  to  tell  you  all  I  feel  and 
all  I  wish,  but,  consult  your  own  heart  and  you  will  know  mine.  How  chequered  is 
human  life  !  How  precarious  is  happiness  !  How  easily  do  we  often  part  with  it  for  a 
shadow.  .  .  .  Circumstances  that  have  come  to  my  knowledge  assure  me  that  our 
operations  will  be  expeditious,  and  success  certain.  .  .  .  Early  in  November  we  shall 
meet  again.  Cheer  yourself  up  with  the  idea  and  with  the  assurance  of  our  never  more 
being  separated.  Every  day  confirms  me  in  the  intention  of  renouncing  public  life  and 
devoting  myself  wholly  to  you.  .  .  I  am  going  to  do  my  duty.  Exert  your  fortitude 
and  rely  upon  heaven. 

Thus  he  went  forward  to  participate  in  the  last  battle  of  the  Revo- 
lution. His  rapid  and  brilliant  exploits  in  the  redoubt  before  York- 
town,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Cornwallis  and  the  British  army, 
are  familiar  to  the  readers  of  history.  And  he  kept  his  word  to  his 
"better  angel"  (a  term  applied  to  his  wife  in  a  letter  addressed  to  her 
just  prior  to  the  engagement).  He  was  at  home  before  November. 
He,  who  was  in  the  first  battle  of  the  Revolution,  participated  also  with 
the  same  vigor  and  determination  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the  long- 
wearying  struggle  for  humanity  and  self-government. 


J.  p 


O  N  G  R  E  S  S  .  no 


Though  the  war  was  praclically  over,  hostihtics  did  not  actually 
cease  until  some  tiinc  alter  the  affair  at  Yorktown.  Our  armies  were 
kept  in  the  fiekl,  and  the  British,  with  dog-like  pertinacity,  held  their 
grip  upon  some  of  the  cities  and  military  posts,  pending  the  efforts  and 
dilatory  movements  of  Congress,  in  obtaining  satisfactory  treaties  for 
peace. 

Hamilton,  though  at  home  and  applying  himself  with  great  dili- 
gence to  the  studies  of  law  and  political  economy,  did  not  lose  his 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  army,  and  wrote  many  letters  to  members 
of  Congress,  proposing  measures  for  its  relief.  His  name  was  sug- 
gested for  one  of  the  negotiators  for  the  French  Loan,  but  he  declined 
the  offer  and  suggested  that  his  friend  Laurens  be  appointed,  which  was 
done.  He  was  finally  persuaded  to  accept  the  position  of  Continental 
Tax  Receiver  for  the  State  of  New  York,  and  he  removed  to  Pouo^h- 
keepsie,  where  the  Legislature  was  in  session,  that  he  might  aid  them 
in  the  perfection  of  a  scheme  for  raising  the  necessary  revenues  for  the 
support  of  the  State,  and  the  ultimate  adjustment  of  the  State's  in- 
debtedness. His  labors  were  arduous,  and  the  favorable  impressions  he 
produced  upon  the  members,  resulted  in  his  election  to  Congress  by 
the  Legislature.  He,  had,  also  previously  passed  the  required  legal 
examination,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Courts  of  the  State. 
He  entered  Congress,  in  November,  1782.  This  position  afforded  him 
greater  opportunities  for  the  display  of  his  extraordinary  talents,  and  he 
entered  upon  the  work  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  nature.  But  he 
found  opposing  factions  ;  and  though  the  Congress  of  '82  possessed  more 
ability  than  some  of  its  predecessors,  still  the  members  were  unable  or 
unfitted  to  deal  with  the  grave  questions  of  public  concern,  which  con- 
fronted them,  and  which  had  been  accumulating  for  years.  Hamilton 
threw  his  whole  energies  into  the  contest  and  made  himself  a  power 
in  the  debates  upon  every  topic  that  was  considered.  The  question 
of  finance  was,  perhaps,  the  most  vital  of  all  the  subjects  with 
which  Congress  had  to  contend,  and  it  was  the  one  that  Hamilton 
felt  himself  peculiarly  fitted  to  discuss.  It  became  a  question,  not  only 
how  to  keep  the  Confederated  Government  together,  and  provide 
ways  and  means  for  the  liquidation  of  the  debts  it  had  incurred, 
but  also  to  do  justice  to  the  soldiers,  and  prevent  armed  mutiny 
among  troops  who  had  been  without  pay  for  years,  and  whose  rebellious 
utterances  at  Newburgh,  and  other  places,  admonished  the  legislators 
that  patience,  even  among  the  patriots,  was  well  nigh  exhausted. 

The  mutinies  at  Philadelphia,  and  at  several  other  points,  reminded 
Hamilton  that  the  successes  of  the  Revolution  must  soon  turn  to  dead 
sea  fruit  if  something  practical  and  substantial  were  not  accomplished. 


100  Predictions. 

The  painful  consciousness  of  these  exigences  stimulated  him  to 
the  utmost  in  urging  measures  of  relief;  but  his  iron  nerve  seems  to 
have  spent  its  force  in  vain  against  the  popular,  demoralized  sentiment 
of  that  Congressional  body.  He  saw  the  fruitlessness  —  the  folly  —  the 
absurdity  of  a  democracy. 

And  here  were  planted  the  seeds  of  distrust  of,  and  disgust  with  a 
too  liberal  interpretation  of  that  system  which  was  the  outgrowth 
of  what  might  be  called  simple  Jeffersonianism,  and  which  found  its 
allies  in  the  anarchists  of  the  French  Revolution. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  Hamilton  should  lean  toward  the  side 
of  an  Aristocratic  Republic,  or  some  efficient  form  of  government ;  nor 
that  he  applied  his  energies  to  the  preparation  of  a  plan  which  would 
concentrate  and  vitalize  the  powers  so  necessary  for  its  maintenance 
and  efficiency. 

A  year  of  fruitless  effort  in  Congress  had  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  Hamilton  who  returned  with  a  firmer  determination  —  if  such  were 
possible  —  to  formulate  other  schemes  and  effect  the  overthrow  of  the 
good-for-nothing,  do-nothing  organization  that  had  become  the  laugh- 
ing stock  of  European  governments  ;  a  reproach  to  the  intelligence  of  a 
free  people,  and  a  stumbling  block  to  progress.  He  devoted  months 
to  the  preparation  of  essays  upon  the  subject,  and  made  speeches 
in  support  of  his  policy ;  and  ultimately  succeeded  in  establishing 
a  strong  party  entertaining  the  strongest  sentiments  for  a  stronger 
form  of  government.  He  predicted  all  the  evils  that  soon  fol- 
lowed. The  financial  affairs  of  every  State  were  nearly,  or  quite,, 
ruined;  inflations  of  worthless  currency  abounded  —  poverty  and  dis- 
tress became  almost  universal  —  "stay  laws"  and  all  sorts  of  dishonest 
expedients  were  resorted  to,  professedly  to  save  the  debtor  classes ;  but 
every  advantage  was  taken  of  them  ;  provisions  and  clothing  were  almost 
unobtainable,  and  the  States'  Rig-hts  theorists  and  their  leaders  still  held 
sway.  Clinton  was  at  the  helm  in  New  York,  and  Hancock  in  Massa- 
chusetts ;  and  these  leaders  saw  that  if  Hamilton's  policy  should  prevail, 
their  consequence  and  prestige  would  diminish.  But  trouble  came 
sooner  than  they  had  imagined.  The  "Shay's  Rebellion"  burst  upon 
Massachusetts;  and  Hancock  prudendy  withdrew.  This  produced  an 
awakening.  Virginia  and  Maryland  had  pursued  the  ignis  fatuus  long 
enough ;  and  their  Legislatures  passed  resolutions  asking  for  a  Conven- 
tion of  all  the  States  at  Annapolis  in  January,  17S6,  to  consider  the 
necessity  of  establishing  a  more  uniform  commercial  system,  etc. 

This  was  Hamilton's  opportunity  to  arouse  public  sentiment  in  his 
own  State,  and  it  was  the  beginning  of  his  herculean  labors  for  the 
overthrow  of  the  old,  effete  Confederacy. 


Annapolis     Convention. 


101 


lie  immediately  took  the  stum|)  in  Nc;\v  York,  in  opposition  to 
Clinton,  and  labored  unceasinj^ly  for  tlu;  election  of  a  Legislature  which 
should  reflect  his  sentiments.  Many  memhers  were  elected  who  were 
favorable  to  the  scheme,  and  they  secured  the  ai)pointment  of  five 
Commissioners  for  the  Convention  at  Annapolis,  one  of  whom,  was 
Hamilton. 

Upon  the  day  of  the  assembling  of  the  Convention,  only  two 
members  from  New  York  appeared,  viz,  :  Benson  and  Hamilton.  And 
such  was  the  indifference  or  contempt  of  the  other  States  for  anything 
National,  that  only  four  of  them  were  represented,  viz.  :  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware,  Virginia  and  New  York.  Yet  this  was  the  entering  wedge.  An 
address  was  written  by  Hamilton,  and  adopted  by  this  little  Convention 
calling  another,  where  delegates  should  meet  with  more  general  powers. 
It  was  a  calm,  earnest  presentation  of  the  alarming  condition  of  the 
country,  and  produced  a  marked  effect.  It  recommended  the  appoint- 
ment of  Commissioners  from  all  the  States,  to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  on 
the  2nd  Monday  in  May,  1787,  "to  take  into  consideration  the  situa- 
tion of  the  States,  and  to  devise  such  further  provisions  as  shall  appear 
necessary  to  render  the  Constitution  of  the  Federal  Government  ade- 
qtiate  to  the  exigencies  of  the  Unio7i,"  G.X.C.  .  .  .  "The  difficulties 
are  of  a  nature  so  serious  as  in  the  view  of  your  Commission,  to  ren- 
der the  situation  of  the  United  States  delicate  and  critical,  callina-  for 
an  exertion  of  united  virtue  and  wisdom  of  all  the  members  of  the 
Confederacy,  and  the  formation  of  such  an  Act,  to  be  reported  to  Con- 
gress, as  when  agreed  to  by  them,  and  afterwards  confirmed  by 
the  Legislature  of  every  State,  will  effectually  provide  for  these 
exigencies." 

The  Convention  adjourned  without  proposing  any  methods,  and 
Hamilton  undertook  the  stupendous  task  of  revolutionizing  the  public 
political  sentiment  of  his  own  State,  in  the  interests  of  a  more  con- 
solidated—  a  real  —  responsible  government. 

\\' hat  a  labor  was  this  ?  New  York  was — "  dyed  in  the  wool  " — 
"  Clintonian,"  and  his  partisans  were  clamoring  like  so  many  howling 
anarchists,  for  what  they  denominated  the  independent  rights  of  the 
people.  A  stronger  government  for  the  Country  meant  a  weaker  one 
for  Clinton  and  all  his  satellites.  So  was  it  with  the  Executives  of  all  the 
other  States.  It  was  pronounced  a  death  blow  at  the  consequential  im- 
portance of  Sovereign  States  (so  called),  whose  Sovereignty  Hamilton 
showed  to  be  fallacy  and  mockery,  in  the  many  vigorous  essays  which 
he  launched  upon  the  Country  through  the  medium  of  circulars  and 
posters,  and  by  public  speeches,  and  personal  appeals  all  of  which 
were  unanswerable.     He  sought  an  election  to  the   Legislature,  and 


102 


•Philadelphia     Ponvention 


took  the  lead  of  the  forces  who  differed  with  the  Governor.  But  he 
was,  apparently,  in  a  hopeless  minority.  With  rare  judgment  he 
voted  to  strengthen,  so  far  as  Clinton's  partisans  would  permit,  the  war- 
ring factions  of  the  Confederacy,  but  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  main 
object  of  his  desires,  which  was  its  ultimate  annihilation,  or  radical 
re-organization,  by  conferring  upon  a  Union  some  of  the  powers  which 
the  States  held  with  such  selfish  tenacity  and  jealousy,  and  which  were 
absolutely  essential  to  a  Government's  vitality  and  usefulness.  His 
rare  talents,  his  powerful  appeals  to  the  hostile  majority,  finally  secured 
the  passage  of  a  resolution  authorizing  the  election  of  five  delegates  to 
the  coming  Convention.  The  Senate  reduced  the  number  to  three,  and 
the  House  concurred,  absolutely  refusing  to  increase  the  delegation. 

The  delegates  elected  were  :  Chief  Justice  Yates,  John  Lansing,  jr., 
and  Hamilton.  The  former  were  strong  Clintonians,  and  Hamilton, 
though  he  had  secured  the  object  of  all  his  labors,  was  still,  a  minority 
delegate,  and  the  great  Empire  State  could  not  be  depended  on  to  cast 
a  majority  vote,  which  would  militate  against  the  consequential  Clinton. 
But  Hamilton  had  carried  his  point — he  had  compelled  his  State  to 
show  itself  at  the  Convention,  and  he  was  to  be  there,  and  that  was 
enough.  What  recked  he  for  the  opinions  of  selfish  majorities  so  long 
as  he  had  the  opportunity  to  wrestle  with  them.  He  had  just  con- 
quered the  majority  of  the  Legislature  of  his  adopted  State  ;  his  whole 
life  had  been  a  conflict  with  opposing  forces  ;  —  his  greatest  triumphs 
had  been  achieved  when  leading,  apparently,  forlorn  hopes  ;  and  he 
believed  himself  equal  to  the  present  occasion. 

He  journeyed  to  Philadelphia  alone,  arriving  about  the  i6th  of  May, 
1787.  On  the  13th  Washington  arrived,  as  one  of  the  delegates 
from  Virginia.  He  was  accompanied  by  John  Blair  and  James 
Madison,  jr.,  as  colleagues.  The  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  with  his 
suite  and  two  companies  of  military,  met  Washington  at  Chester  and 
escorted  hira  to  the   city. 

The  Convention  held  its  first  session  on  the  14th  of  May,  at  Inde- 
pendence Hall,  but  it  appeared  that  delegates  from  only  two  States 
were  present,  and  it  adjourned  from  day  to  day,  for  want  of  a  quorum, 
until  upon  the  2  5th  of  May,  seven  of  the  thirteen  States  were  repre- 
sented, and  its  first  regular  deliberations  took  place,  when  Washington 
was  unanimously  elected  President. 

In  Washington's  diary,  which  is  preserved  among  the  most  cher- 
ished relics  in  the  Congressional  Library,  the  first  entry  in  which  is 
under  date  of  Friday,  May  11,  1787,  describing  his  departure  from 
Mount  Vernon  and  his  journey  to  Philadelphia  as  a  delegate — the 
following  appears  : 


TS 


P  E  L  I  B  E  R^A  T  I  O  N  S  .  103 


]\I()iula\',  i.(.  —Tliis  iH'iu,^  llu-  il.iy  appniutid  Im  llu'  incctinj^  of  tlic  Convention, 
sucli  iiu'nil)t'r.s  of  il  as  were  in  town,  assembled  at  tiio  Stale  House,  when  it  was  founil 
tliat  two  States  only,  were  represented,  viz.:  V'ir^Mnia  and  Pennsylvania.  Agreetl  to 
meet  to-morrow  at   ii   o'clock.       Dineil    (in  a  family   way)  at  Mr.  Morris',  and  took 

lea  there. 

Hamilton  upon  his  arrival  greeted  his  old  Commander  with  great 
cordiality,  for,  notwithstanding  the  little  unpleasantness,  before  men- 
tioned, they  had  ever  been,  and  always  remained,  steadfast  friends. 
The  Convention  lasted  about  four  months  and  its  deliberations  were 
secret.  Washington  was  in  constant  attendance,  though  he  made  but 
one  speech,  and  seldom  presided,  as  the  Convention  was  deliberating 
most  of  the  time  in  Committee  of  the  Whole,  with  one  of  its  members 
acting  as  Chairman. 

During  the  first  four  weeks  Hamilton  remained  passive,  but  he  was 
a  good  listener,  and  when  he  had  comprehended  the  measures  and 
measured  the  capacities,  and  fully  studied  the  plans  and  designs  of  that 
motley  gathering  of  Constitution  makers,  he  submitted  a  draft  em- 
bodying his  ideas  of  an  effective  Government,  and  supported  it  in  a 
speech  of  six  hours'  duration,  which  was  pronounced  by  Governeur 
Morris,  and  others,  as  the  most  masterly,  convincing  argument  to  which 
the  Convention  had  yet  listened.  He  struck  at  the  pernicious  theory 
of  the  absolute  and  separate  independence  of  the  several  States,  and  of 
the  double-headed,  conflicting,  powers  of  the  Continental  Congress 
and  the  different  States. 

The  Congress  which  was  organized  under  the  old  articles  of  Con- 
federation ;  which  had  been  in  force  during  the  past  six  years,  or  since 
March,  1781,  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  absurd  and 
fallacious  conceptions  of  legislative  and  executive  functions  that  can  be 
imagined.  It  is  a  wonder  that  the  people  suffered  it  to  exist  as  long 
as  they  did  but  the  issues  of  the  war  were  paramount  to  every  other 
thought  in  the  minds  of  the  citizens,  and  the  factions  in  power  in  the 
several  States  were  strong  enough  to  exert  a  continuous  influence  over 
this  remarkable  body,  which  bore  little  resemblance  to  the  form  of 
Government   under  which  we  live. 

There  was  no  President,  no  Cabinet,  no  Senate,  no  Supreme  Court, 
no  Custom  Houses  ;  and  no  duties  or  taxes  assessed  or  collected  by  the 
Confederated  Government.  The  Congress  ( so  called )  was  a  single 
body,  composed  of  delegates  to  which  no  State  could  send  less  than 
two  nor  more  than  seven  representatives.  These  members  were 
chosen  annually  and  paid  by  the  States  that  sent  them.  The  body  was 
presided  over  by  a  member  elected  from  among  their  number.  The 
voting  was  done,  not  by  individuals,  but  by  States,  and  the  votes  of 


104  The     Old     Confedei^ac  y. 

nine  of  these  State  delegations  were  requisite  to  pass  any  ordinance  or 
enactment  of  validity. 

This  body  could  manufacture  money,  and  issue  bills  of  credit,  and 
so  could  the  States.  It  could  make  war  and  make  peace  —  so  also 
could  the  several  States.  It  could  raise  armies  and  navies,  and  borrow 
money,  but  it  could  not  pay  a  single  obligation,  for  it  had  no  revenue 
nor  any  resources  whatever. 

By  the  articles  of  Confederation  the  States  were  forbidden  to  wage 
war  or  make  treaties,  but  these,  as  well  as  every  other  obligation  they 
professed  to  assume,  were  openly  violated  upon  the  State  Rights  theory. 
After  Congress  had  borrowed  all  the  money  possible,  and  found  itself 
ready  to  go  to  pieces,  a  lottery  was  organized  that  proved  a  failure. 
Then  another  call  was  made  upon  the  States,  without  avail.  Finally,  a 
proposition  was  submitted  to  the  several  States,  to  permit  it  to  exercise 
sole  power  in  issuing  bills  of  credit,  with  a  view  to  repair  its  lost  credit, 
but  New  York  refused  assent,  Rhode  Island,  Virginia  and  South  Caro- 
lina, rebelled  against  it,  and  it  failed,  as  did  nearly  everything  else  that 
was  attempted.  When  the  Congress  could  no  longer  influence  the 
States,  it  quarreled  with  them,  and  when  the  States  could  no  longer 
find  any  cause  or  subject  before  Congress,  upon  which  they  might  differ, 
they  quarreled  with  each  other.  Then  the  State  delegations,  many  of 
them,  withdrew,  and  left  Congress  without  a  quorum.  New  York 
treated  Connecticut  and  New  Jersey  as  foreign  powers  and  laid  duties 
upon  the  manufactures  which  came  into  her  ports  from  those  States. 
New  Jersey,  in  retaliation,  taxed  the  light  houses  owned  by  New  York. 
Connecticut  men  were  driven  out  of  several  of  the  States  where  they 
had  settled  and  purchased  homes.  Maine  threatened  to  secede  from 
Massachusetts,  and  Kentucky  was  exerting  herself  to  get  away  from 
Virginia.  Vermont  —  not  then  a  member  of  the  Confederacy  —  was 
threatening  to  pack  up  and  betake  herself,  or  her  government,  to 
Canada.  Each  State  manufactured  a  currency  of  its  own.  The  paper 
money  made  by  one  State  was  not  current  in  any  other,  and  the  Con- 
tinental currency  had  become  a  by-word  or  a  subject  of  general 
derision. 

These  were  some  of  the  practical  results  of  the  policies  or  theories 
of  the  "State  Rights"  partisans,  and  this  was  the  condition  of  the 
Country  when  the  convention  assembled. 

We  may  wonder  at  the  remarkable  display  of  foresight,  or  wisdom, 
of  the  framers  of  the  Constitution,  in  anticipating  so  fully  and  perfectly 
the  present  and  the  future  needs  of  a  great  people;  in  investing  it  with 
so  many  powers  and  safe  guards  for  the  protection  of  our  interests  and 
liberties  ;  in  dividing  and  equalizing  its  functions  by  such  a  system  of 


The     Fe  dermal     Constitutio 


N.  lUo 


checks  antl  balances;  ami  yet  the)'  did  not  build  wiser  than  they 
knew,  nor  so  effectually  as  some  of  them  cU:sir('(l.  They  had  endured 
the  workin(js  of  a  Confederacy  and  had  rea[)ed  tin;  hitu-r  fruits  thereof. 
Democracy  and  Aristocracy  must  meet  somewhere — -  both  must  con- 
cede something  for  unity,  and  it  required  a  session  of  four  months  in 
which  to  harmonize  these  diverse  sentiments.  Aristocracy  meant  States 
Rights,  antl  Democracy  meant  liberty  without  license  or  restrictions. 

b^our  different  plans  were  finally  submitted  to  the  Convention.  One 
came  from  the  Virginia  delegates,  a  second  from  New  Jersey,  the  third 
from  South  Carolina,  and  the  fourth  was  the  elaborate  conception  of 
Hamilton,  though  he  stated  that  if  their  views  were  not  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced to  support  his  plan,  he  was  willing,  for  peace's  sake,  to  advocate 
the  Virginia  plan,  still,  he  remarked  that  he  had  little  faith  in  its  abso- 
lute permanency  or  absolute  security.  Washington  also  uttered  similar 
opinions,  and  even  Jefferson,  at  a  later  period,  wrote  to  Lafayette  that 
he  feared  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  Constitution,  as  finally  adopted. 

The  present  Constitution  embodies  more  of  the  Virginia  plan, 
though  fragments  of  the  others  are  incorporated  in  it.  The  question 
of  representation  involved  the  Convention  in  a  most  intricate  and  un- 
seemly wrangle,  the  debate  lasting  for  more  than  two  weeks.  The 
'  little  States  were  envious  of  the  larger  ones,  and  the  large  ones  were 
jealous  of  each  other's  importance,  and  also  differed  as  to  what  consti- 
tuted population. 

The  question  of  slavery  here  intruded  itself,  and  a  doubtful  com- 
promise was  finally  effected  by  giving  the  slaves  a  three-fifths  repre- 
sentation. "  The  Constitution  as  it  was,"  has  been  regarded  as  a  wonder 
and  also  an  enigma,  and,  since  it  has  been  in  operation,  few  men  — great 
or  small — however  profound  or  patriotic,  have  been  able  to  agree  as  what 
it  is,  or  how  it  should  be  interpreted.  No  one  knows,  to  a  certainty, 
how  it  was  ratified,  Hayne,  the  great  South  Carolinian,  asserted  that 
it  was  ratified  by  the  States — Madison  said,  it  was  by  the  people  of 
each  State  —  Calhoun  averred,  that  it  was  by  the  people  in  independent 
committees,  and  Webster  declared  that  it  was  by  the  whole  people  of 
the  United  States.  It  has  been  called  by  every  name  known  among 
men.  It  has  been  denominated  the  "  acme  of  perfection,"  and  the 
"essence  of  inspiration  " — also,  a  "  league  with  hell  and  a  covenant  with 
death."  Some  believed  it  to  be  a  treaty  of  alliance  or  a  compact, 
—  an  agreement  —  others,  a  contract  to  be  violated  or  dissolved  at  the 
pleasure  of  a  few  dissatisfied  States,  but  the  recent  war  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union  has  decided  and  dissipated  the  latter  theory. 

Fourth-of-July  orators  and  professional  politicians  are  continually 
prating  upon  the  Constitution,  but  they,  too,  leave  us  in  ignorance  of 


106  Politics. 

its  full  import,  or  the  extent  of  its  implied  powers.  The  general  inter- 
pretations of  it  are  derived  from  one  or  the  other  of  the  two  great 
political  parties  —  whichever  one  happens  to  be  in  power.  The  "ins" 
claim  to  be  its  especial  guardians,  but  if  we  may  credit  the  opinions  of 
the  "outs,"  this  same  Constitution  is  being  violated  more  frequently, 
and  more  glaringly,  than  any  other  document  or  instrument  that  ever 
possessed  political  or  moral  significance. 

When  the  Federalists  assumed  power,  at  the  outset,  under  Wash- 
ington, they  began  to  legislate  upon  subjects  for  which  there  was  no 
constituted  authority.  They  assumed  State  debts,  chartered  a  National 
Bank,  passed  alien  and  sedition  laws,  etc.,  which  were  all  pronounced 
a  violation  of  the  Constitution  by  the  Republicans,  who  assembled  and 
solemnly  resolved  that  the  government  should  be  administered  accord- 
ing to  their  understanding  of  its  powers  —  expressed  and  implied. 
They  gave  expression  to  their  views  in  the  famous  Kentucky  resolu- 
tions, of  1798-9.  These  were  measures  of  political  strategy,  and 
admirably  served  the  purpose  of  the  originators  in  defeating  the 
Federalists. 

When  the  Federalists  went  out  of  power,  and  these  Constitution- 
respecting  disciples,  took  their  places,  they  did  the  very  acts  which  they 
condemned  in  the  Federalists  —  they  laid  an  embargo,  bought  foreign 
territory,  (Louisiana) ;  the  President  issued  a  call  for  troops  without 
authority  in  1812  ;  and  to  wind  up  their  administration,  they  chartered 
in  18 1 6,  a  National  Bank. 

But  the  same  Constitution,  with  a  few  necessary  amendments,  still 
remains,  and  must,  so  long  as  freedom  survives,  and  intelligence,  virtue 
and  patriotism  are  cherished  among  men.  Frothy  politicians  and  sen- 
sational writers  have  been  wont  to  rail  at  Hamilton,  because  of  his  con- 
victions and  earnest  efforts  for  a  still  stronger  form  of  a  Constitution  ; 
making  several  of  the  officers  appointive,  or  elective,  for  life,  or,  during 
good  behavior,  with  a  view  of  removing  them  from  the  atmosphere  and 
influences  of  politicians ;  and  there  is  little  doubt  of  the  soundness  of 
his  opinions. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact,  that  the  men  who  were  opposed  to 
his  plan,  because  it  conferred  too  much  individual  power,  and  was 
essentially  "  too  British,"  were  willing  to,  and  did,  confer  upon  the 
office  of  President,  greater  powers  than  are  granted  to  the  Queen  of 
England. 

The  Supreme  Court  created  by  this  Constitution,  also  wields  a 
greater  power  than  President,  or  Congress,  or  States,  or  any  other  judi- 
cial tribunal  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  It  is  a  power  by  whose  exercise 
the  Court  can  make,  or  unmake,  (by  interpretation,)  the  Constitutional 


f 


ROPHESIES.  10"; 


law  of  the  land — enlarge,  or  restrict,  the  powers  of  the  President,  or 
those  of  Congress  ;  extend  or  limit  either  National  or  State  Sovereignty. 
And  these  great  powers  may  be  exercised  by  five  men,  instead  of  nine, 
and  they  are  beyond  the  control  of  any  Legislative  or  Executive  body 
—  they  are  independent. 

It  is  but  a  short  time  since  one  of  the  leading  evening  papers 
published  a  sensational  article,  reflecting  upon  the  motives  that 
prompted  Hamilton  to  urge  the  adoption  of  his  plan,  stigmatizing  it  as 
"English",  aristocratic  and  tyrannical,  because  of  its  similarity  to  the 
British  Constitution  —  the  writer,  probably,  little  thinking,  that  at  that 
time  the  British  government  was  the  freest,  most  permanent,  rational, 
and  humane,  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Hamilton  has  also  been  criticised  for  prognostications  at  various 
periods  during  his  life  time,  concerning  the  probable  perpetuity  of  the 
government,  as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  the  founders,  but  as  he  pos- 
sessed more  brains  than  any  of  his  critics,  consequently,  he  was  a 
better  prophet  than  his  detractors. 

The  following  editorial  paragraph  from  the  pen  of  George  William 
Curtis,  in  Harpers'  Weekly,  (issue  of  October  i,  1887),  is  pertinent  in 
this  connection  : 

It  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  prescience  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  that  he  said, 
not  long  before  his  death,  that  the  Union  might  last  for  thirty  or  forty  years.  It  was 
just  about  thirty  years  afterward  that  the  nullification  movement  forecast  the  civil  war. 

Hamilton  was  thought  to  desire  too  strong  a  national  authority.  But  experience  has 
justified  his  feeling  that  it  should  have  been  stronger,  and  the  constitutional  amendments 
following  the  war,  attest  the  soundness  of  his  judgment.  It  is  the  wonderful  balance 
of  the  system,  the  unprecedented  intermingling  of  the  great  governmental  powers,  which 
is  the  cardinal  distinction  of  the  Constitution.  It  is  such  a  happy  device  as  that  of  the 
Senate,  when  after  long  controversy,  agreement  seemed  to  be  impossible,  which  satisfied 
the  national  desire  and  the  local  instinct,  and  which  causes  the  Instrument  to  be  regarded 
with  almost  superstitious  reverence  as  "inspired."  It  was,  indeed,  the  inspiration  of 
patriotic  good  sense,  etc. 

Hamilton's  influence  and  labors  among  the  better  elements  in  the 
Philadelphia  Convention,  were  potent  and  far-reaching.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  the  wrangling  and  bitterness  of  the  debates,  and  the  reproaches 
that  were  cast  upon  him,  because  of  his  so-called  English  theories,  he 
remained  undaunted  and  persevering.  He  did  not  lose  his  temper,  nor 
sulk  in  his  tent,  nor  fold  it  —  like  some  of  the  Arabs  —  and  silently  steal 
away.  But  every  other  member  from  the  Empire  State  departed  in 
disg'ust,  and  left  him  to  strucrcrle  alone. 

An  entry  in  Washington's  diary,  which  reveals  so  many  discourag- 
ing features  of  that  contest,  reads  thus  : 


108  yJusTicE     Miller^' s    Q  pinions. 

So  many  members  are  leaving — all  of  the  New  York  delegates  have  gone  to-day 
excejjt  Col.  Hamilton. 

And  Hamilton  remained  until  the  17th  of  September, —  the  great 
day  upon  which  the  work  was  completed, —  and  alone  he  voted,  and 
affixed  the  name  of  the  State  of  New  York  to  the  Constitution. 

The  eminent  Justice  Miller,  one  of  the  Associate  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  who  was  selected  to  deliver  the 
oration  at  the  Centennial  Celebration  in  Philadelphia,  which  is  referred 
to  at  the  commencement  of  this  chapter,  says  in  his  address  : 

With  no  invidious  intent,  it  must  be  here  said,  that  one  of  the  greatest  names  in 
American  history- — Alexander  Hamilton ■ — is  there  as  representing  alone  the  important 
State  of  New  York  ;  his  colleagues  from  that  State  having  withdrawn  from  the  Conven- 
tion before  the  final  vote  on  the  Constitution. 

In  another  portion  of  his  address  occurs  the  following  : 

Another  feature  of  the  Constitution  which  met  with  earnest  opposition,  was  the  vest- 
ing of  the  executive  power  in  a  single  Magistrate. 

While  Hamilton  would  have  preferred  a  hereditary  Monarch,  with  strong  restrictions 
on  his  authority,  like  that  in  England,  he  soon  saw,  that  even  his  great  influence,  could 
not  carry  the  Convention  with  him. 

There  were  not  a  few  members,  who  preferred  in  that  matter,  the  system  of  a  single 
body,  (as  the  Congress),  in  which  should  be  reposed  all  the  powers  of  the  Nation  ;  or  a 
Council  or  Executive  Committee,  appointed  by  that  body   and  responsible  to  it. 

There  were  others  who  preferred  an  Executive  Council,  of  several  members,  not 
owing  its  appointment  to  Congress. 

Justice  Miller  discusses  this  branch  of  the  subject  at  considerable 
length  and  with  much  spirit.      In  concluding  —  he  says  : 

If  experience  can  teach  anything,  on  the  subject  of  the  theories  of  Government,  the 
late  civil  war  teaches  unmistakably,  that  those  who  believed  the  source  of  danger  to  be 
in  the  strong  powers  of  the  Federal  Government,  were  in  error,  and  those  who  believed 
that  such  powers  were  necessary  to  its  safe  conduct  and  continued  existence,  were  right. 

The  attempted  destruction  of  the  Union,  by  eleven  States,  which  were  part  of  it,  and 
the  apparent  temporary  success  of  the,  effort  was,  undoubtedly,  due  to  the  capacity  of 
the  States  under  the  Constitution,  for  concerted  action  by  organized  movements,  with  all 
the  machinery  ready  at  hand  to  raise  armies  and  establish  a  Central  Government.  And 
the  utter  failure  of  the  attempt  is  to  be  attributed  with  equal  clearness  to  the  exercise  of 
those  powers  of  the  General  Government,  under  the  Constitution,  which  were  denieil  to 
it  by  extreme  advocates  of  State  Rights.  And  that  this  might  no  longer  be  a  disj)ute, 
three  new  amendments  to  the  Constitution  were  adopted  at  the  close  of  that  struggle, 
which,  while  keeping  in  view  the  principles  of  our  complex  form  of  Government,  and 
seeking  to  disturb  the  distribution  of  powers  among  them  as  little  as  was  consistent  with 
the  wisdom  acquired  by  sorrowful  experience,  these  amendments  confer  additional 
powers  on  the  Government  of  the  Union,  and  place  additional  restraints  upon  those  of 
the  States. 

May  it  be  long  before  such  an  awful  lesson  is  again  needed  to  decide  upon  disputed 
questions  of  Constitutional  law  ! 


Ratification    of  the    Constitution. 


]()•» 


The  prophecies  of  I  hiiiiilton,  conccrnins^  the  continual  dangers  to 
be  apprehended  from  the  too-librral  interpretation  of  the  absolute  rights 
of  the  States,  derive  fresh  significance  from  the  statements  made  by 
this  same  Justice  in  another  portion  of  his  address. 

Referring  to  the  fact  that  Rhode  Island  was  not  represented  in  the 
Convention  ;  took  no  interest  in  its  affairs,  and  did  not  ratify  the  Con- 
stitution until  more  than  two  years  after  a  sufficient  majority  of  the 
others  had  done  so  to  put  it  into  operation  as  a  National  Government  — 
he  says  : 

That  the  spirit  which  actuated  Rhode  Island  still  exists,  and  is  found  in  other  States 
of  the  Union,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  at  no  time  since  the  formation  of  the 
Union,  has  there  been  a  period  when  there  were  not  to  be  found  on  the  Statute  books  of 
some  of  the  States,  acts  passed  in  violation  of  this  provision  of  the  Constitution,  impos- 
ing taxes  and  other  burdens  upon  the  free  interchange  of  commodities,  discriminating 
against  the  productions  of  other  States,  and  attempting  to  establish  regulations  of  com- 
merce, which  the  Constitution  says  shall  only  be  done  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States. 

During  the  session  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  ended  in  May  last,  no  less  than  four 
or  five  decisions  of  the  highest  importance  were  rendered,  declaring  Statutes  of  as  many 
different  States  to  be  void,  because  they  were  forbidden  by  this  provision  of  the  Federal 
Constitution. 

Hamilton's  labors  and  responsibilities  did  not  cease  with  the  close 
of  the  Convention. 

The  ratification  of  the  Constitution  by  nine  States  was  necessary  to 
invest  it  with  National  existence  or  authority,  and  it  devolved  upon 
him,  alone,  to  create  a  public  sentiment,  at  home,  sufficiently  strong  to 
insure  its  adoption  by  his  State. 

This  was  a  stupendous  task.  New  York  was  stubbornly  against  it, 
and  several  other  States  —  notably,  North  Carolinia  and  Rhode  Island, 
which  at  first  rejected  it  altogether.  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire were  about  equally  divided.  Although  it  had  been  designated 
"  the  pet  of  Virginia,"  yet  the  "  Mother  of  Presidents  "  did  not  embrace 
it  with  a  loving,  motherly  instinct,  and  it  was  barely  "pulled  through" 
her  Legislature.  It  did  not  meet  the  fastidious  views  of  two  of  her 
most-distinguished  patriots  —  Jefferson  pronounced  it  not  sufficiently 
democratic,  and  Patrick  Henry  said  :  "it  had  an  awful  squinting  towards 
Monarchy." 

It  met  with  fierce  opposition  in  every  State.  Some  opposed  it 
from  principle,  others  for  local  and  sectional  reasons,  some  on  account 
of  its,  apparent,  dubiousness  and  incompleteness,  others,  from  motives 
of  selfishness  and  general  mulishness. 

Delaware  was  the  first  State  to  ratify  it,  and  New  Hampshire,  the 
ninth  —  which  made  it  a  finality —  in  June,  1788. 


110 


New     York     Ratifies. 


New  York,  was  still  out;  Clinton  was  defiant;  and  Yates  and 
Lansing,  the  two  renegade  delegates  were  aiding  him  and  his  party  in 
keeping  the  State  outside  the  Federal  authority. 

Societies  were  organized  to  resist  the  encroachments  of  the  "mon- 
archical powers  "  which  were  supposed  to  be  incorporated  in  the  new 
Constitution. 

It  is  impossible,  within  the  limits  of  this  chapter,  to  follow  Hamilton 
through  the  details  of  his  struggle  with  this  benighted,  adverse,  majority. 
It  was  the  hardest,  grandest  effort  of  his  life.  His  voluminous  pam- 
phlets, essays,  reports,  etc.,  are,  partially,  preserved,  and  his  writings 
in  The  Federalist,  are  the  most  profound  expositions  of  the  principles 
of  Constitutional  law,  that  have  ever  been  written. 

When  the  Legislature  of  the  State  convened,  it  was  found  that 
though  he  had  a  fair,  or  even,  prospect  in  the  Senate  ;  yet  Clinton  had  a 
large  majority  in  the  House.  And  this  adverse  vote  Hamilton  finally 
overcame  in  open  debate,  and  carried  the  Legislature  by  the  narrow 
margin  of  four  votes,  in  favor  of  the  Constitution. 

It  was  a  sublime  moment  for  Hamilton  when  Melancthon  Smith, 
the  great  leader  of  the  Clintonians,  arose  in  the  Legislature,  at  the  close 
of  one  of  Hamilton's  speeches,  and  acknowledged  that  Hamilton  had 
converted  him  ;  that  he  should  vote  for  ratification,  and  he  advised  his 
party  to  make  no  further  opposition.  And  yet  such  was  the  bitter  feel- 
ing against  ratification,  that  only  a  majority  of  four  were  recorded 
for  it,  which,  The  New  York  Tribune,  in  an  editorial  of  September, 
1887,  says:  "was,  undoubtedly,  due  to  the  spell  of  Hamilton's 
eloquence  !  " 

"Two-thirds  of  the  Convention  and  four-sevenths  of  the  people  are 
against  us"  —  wrote  Hamilton,  after  the  first  vote  had  been  taken  upon 
ratification.  He  was  now  only  about  thirty  years  of  age,  and  this 
closed  his  legislative  career.  But  his  fame  had  become  national  and 
world-wide,  and  he  could  well  rest  upon  his  laurels. 

We  can  almost  see  him  in  the  reality  of  the  dim  past  ;  when,  turn- 
ing backward  to  page  72,  we  study  the  striking  features  which  the 
famous  artist,  and  portrayer  of  Washington,  has  transferred  from  life  to 
canvas.  Although  made  a  dozen  years  afterward ;  at  the  time  when 
he  was  Inspector-General  of  the  Armies  of  the  United  States  ;  he  is  still 
as  erect,  graceful,  and  commanding,  as  when  he  stood,  undismayed,  be- 
fore the  hosts  of  Clinton,  in  the  Legislative  Halls  of  his  adopted  State  , 
repelling  and  defying  personal  attacks,  and  pleading  alone  for  the  life 
and  unity  of  the  Nation.  The  strong,  shapely  jaw ;  the  firm,  deter- 
mined mouth  ;  the  long,  straight  nose  ;  the  black,  flashing,  piercing 
eye  ,  and  the  massive,  towering  brain,  above,  and  in  front  of  the  line  of 


S  E  C  R  E  T  A  R^Y       OF      THE      TrEASU  P^Y 


III 


the  cars,  complete  a  picture,  of  dit^nity,  intelliijence,  perseverance, 
integrity,  self  reliance  ,  with  a  power  of  penetration  and  divination  tliat 
seem  unassailable   and  inimitable. 

I  lis  remarkable  magnanimity  to  political  foes,  was  another  pecu- 
liar characteristic,  and  he  was  often  known  to  support  a  polilical 
opponent  for  office  whose  moral  character  outweighed  that  of  the  can- 
didate of  his  own  party. 

His  Congressional  career  closed  with  the  introduction  of  an  Act 
fixing  the  date  and  place  for  putting  the  New  Government  into  opera- 
tion, which  was  at  New  York,  March  4,  1789  ;  preceding  which  time  an 
election  for  President  and  Vice  President  had  taken  place.  A  quorum 
of  both  Houses  was  not  obtained,  however,  until  the  6th  of  April,  fol- 
lowing, when  the  votes  were  counted,  and  George  Washington  was 
declared  to  have  received  a  unanimous  vote  for  president,  while  John 
Adams,  having  the  next  highest  number  of  votes,  was  declared  the 
Vice  President, 

Both  were  Informed  of  their  election,  and  proceeded,  after  the 
"  Continental "  method,  by  slow  stages,  to  New  York,  where  they  en- 
tered upon  the  duty  of  their  respective  offices. 

The  New  Government  worked  slowly,  and  it  was  September  before 
an  Act  was  passed  by  Congress  establishing  a  Department  of  the 
Treasury.  Washington  did  not  look  long  about  the  country  for  an 
occupant  for  this  position,  nor  hesitate  in  making  an  appointment. 
Robert  Morris  assured  him  that  Hamilton  was  the  ablest  man  whom 
the  Country  had  yet  produced,  which  but  confirmed  Washington's  judg- 
ment, consequently  the  ofifice  was  tendered  to  Hamilton. 

Is  it- a  matter  of  surprise  that  "Robert  Morris,  the  great  financier 
of  the  Revolution,  "  the  elder  friend  of  Hamilton  ,  did  not  desire  to  en- 
ter the  breach,  or  aspire  to  be  a  modern  Moses,  to  lead  the  people  into 
a  land  of  plenty  —  or  attempt  to  smite  the  adamantine  rock  of  finance, 
to  test  its  capacity  to  supply  the  means  for  liquidating  the  accumu- 
lated dishonored  obligations  of  a  dozen  impoverished  States  , 
including  floods  of  unredeemed  paper  pledges  —  the  worthless  spawns 
of  a  defunct  Continental  Confederacy?  Out  of  the  dense  mists  of  un- 
certainty veiling  the  future  ;  in  the  face  of  their  present  bankruptcy  ; 
under  the  odium  of  repudiation;  who,  but  Hamilton,  possessed  the 
courage  to  plead —  to  invoke,  from  across  the  sea,  another  installment  of 
the  silver  manna  wherewith  to  maintain  a  little  longer  a  half-famished, 
half-clothed,  unemployed  and  helpless  infant  Nation?  Who — other 
than  Hamilton — could  have  evoked  or  evolved  from  the  debris  of  the 
past ,  without  guide  or  precedent ,  a  policy,  or  system,  that  at  once 
would  inspire  confidence  and  restore  them  to  favor  among  nations  ;  — 


112  J-  A  B  c  ?^    A  X  r     ^  E  s  p  c  X  s  :  B  :  L  :  7 :  E  s 

also  enable  them  to  put  the  wheels  of  industrj-  in  motion  and  revive 
prosperit)'  in  a  depopulated  territory  that  for  more  than  seven  years 
had  been  overrun  and  laid  waste  by — worse  than  "  swarms  of  locusts  " 
— a  British  Soldier)'? 

It  was  another  forlorn  hope,  and  Hamilton  decided  to  accept.  He 
had  not  solicited  the  appointment,  nor  craved  the  task,  with  all  its 
responsibilities,  for  he  was  now  a  rising  lawyer,  with  a  legal  practice 
Aat  made  him  independent  and  promised  affluence,  but  —  the  Countr}' 
needed  him.  He  saw  Congress  already  floundering  in  a  sea  of  per- 
plexities, over  the  revenue,  commerce,  navigation  laws,  taxation,  and  a 
thousand  details  incident  to  the  exigencies  of  the  new  situation. 

Space  does  not  permit  the  writer  to  follow  through  the  mazes  of  his 
official  correspondence,  reports,  tabulations,  statistics,  bills,  treaties  and 
drafts  of  Acts,  upon  nearly  every  subject,  which  he  submitted  — which 
were  considered  and  passed  by  Congress  during  his  term  of  office,  and 
which  were  the  most  laborious,  comprehensive,  and  voluminous  of 
all  the  effiDrts  of  his  active  life. 

WTien  he  took  possession  of  the  Treasur}-  there  was  not  a  dollar 
to  the  credit  of  the  GovemmenL  One  of  his  first  acts  was  to  pledge 
his  indi\-idual  honor  and  securities  to  borrow  money,  for  its  needs,  from 
the  Bank  of  New  York. 

He  had  not  been  ten  days  in  office  when  Congress .  who  seemed  to 
r^^d  him  a  living,  infellible.  exhausdess  cyclopedia ,  requested  him  to 
transmit  to  that  bodj^  a. detailed  report  upon  the  condition  of  the 
Country' .  with  such  opinions  and  recommendations  upon  such  subject 
matters  as  might  seem  to  him  necessar)"  for  its  consideration. 

This  was  prompdy  fiimished,  and  it  was  supplemented  by  another 
in  Januar)'  following  upon  the  pubUc  credit,  which  was  one  of  the  most 
elaborate,  able  and  important  papers  that  has  ever  been  submitted  to 
Congress.  It  stamped  him  at  once  ss  a  leader  :  it  built  up  and 
cemented  together  a  powerfiil  representative  part)-,  and  founded  a  sys- 
of  finance  and  pohtical  economy  which  was  as  remarkable  in  concep- 
tion as  it  was  practical  and  vital ;  which  immediately  became  the  setded 
policy  of  the  Government ;  which  has  endured  the  tests  of  time  and 
experience  —  has  stamped  itself  upon  the  institutions  of  our  Countr)'; 
and,  though  it  has  been  assailed  at  various  periods,  during  the  centur)- 
that  has  passed,  and  has  sometimes  been  obscured  or  temporarily  sus- 
pended or  turned  aside ,  fi-om  motives  of  partisan  pig-headedness, 
blindness  and  ignorance ,  still — thanks  to  the  undying  sentiment  of  the 
Hamilton  school  of  thought  among  the  people,  and  to  the  existence 
and  energies  of  the  late  Salmon  P.  Chase  —  Hamilton's  policy  stiU 
exists  and  is  in  force  to-dav. 


R  E  p  o  R^T     UPON     Public     Predit.  113 

The  want  of  space  prevents  abstracts  from  all  of  the  various  sub- 
jects discussed  by  Hamilton  in  his  first  report.  Yet  no  other  writer  of 
those  times  was  more  lucid  or  concise. 

He  commences  with  some  forcible  sentences  upon  the  necessity  of  a 
public  credit,  not  solely  as  a  means  of  raising  money  but  as  an  element 
of  National  greatness,  and  says  : 

It  should  be  our  aim  to  justify  and  preser\-e  the  confidence  of  the  most  enlightened 
friends  of  good  goverment ;  to  promote  the  increasing  respectability  of  the  American 
Name ;  to  answer  the  calls  of  Justice ;  to  restore  landed  property  to  its  due  value ;  to 
furnish  new  resources  both  to  agriculture  and  commerce ;  to  cement  more  closely 
the  Union  of  the  States ;  to  add  to  their  security  against  foreign  attack ;  to  establish 
public  order  upon  the  basis  of  an  upright  and  liberal  polic}- :  —  these  are  some  of  the 
great  and  invaluable  ends  to  be  secured  by  a  proper  and  adequate  pro\-ision,  at  the 
present  period,  for  the  support  of  the  public  credit. 

Hamilton's  proposition  for  the  establishment  of  a  National  Bank,  was 
important;  in  viev/  of  the  wretched  condition  of  the  finances,  and  the 
further  fact  that  no  one  could  propose  any  other  device.  The 
only  opposition  came  from  the  party  styling  themselves  "  Anti- 
Federalists."  for  this  term  meant  simply  opposition  to  any  measures 
which  the  Federalists  proposed  or  adopted.  Their  assumed  objection 
to  the  Bank,  was  its  alleged  unconstitutionality ;  and  Hamilton's  argu- 
ment for  the  constitutionality  of  it  is  one  of  the  most  logical  and  pro- 
found specimens  of  legal  reasoning  that  has  ever  emanated  from  the 
pen  of  any  statesman  or  jurist. 

His  eminence  as  a  Statesman  had  naturally  aroused  the  jealousy  of 
his  associates  in  the  Cabinet ;  chiefly  Jefferson ;  who  saw  his  own 
opportunity  to  create  a  personal  following  among  the  Anti-Federalists 
by  joining  and  leading  the  opposition. 

This  was  not  a  ver}-  strong  platform  of  principles,  but  it  gave 
him  the  opportunity  which  he  craved,  to  place  himself  in  the  position 
of  the  modern  Holmanic  objector.  He  was  shrewd  and  able  as  a  poli- 
tician ;  his  experience  among  the  French  revolutionists  (whose  schemes 
he  had  been  studvino-  durinor  his  recent  residence  among;  them),  had 
fitted  him  for  this  peculiar  species  of  tactics.  He  was  unable  to  under- 
mine Hamilton's  arguments,  consequently,  there  was  nothing  for  him  to 
do  but  to  assail  his  motives  and  make  an  issue  upon  personalities.  He 
succeeded  so  well  that  Washington  became  resdess  and  unhappy  and 
was  at  last  persuaded  to  write  Hamilton  upon  the  subject.  Hamilton 
responded  and  repelled  Jefferson's  insinuations  with  such  crushing  force 
that  Washington  felt  humiliated  by  his  own  interference  and  the  sus- 
picion that  he  might  have  compromised  himself  in  the  estimation  of 


114  Finance     and     Taf^iff. 

Hamilton.  Thus  was  established  the  foundation  for  the  creation  of  a 
second  party  in  the  history  of  the  Government. 

A  short  time  after  the  introduction,  by  Hamilton,  of  his  plan  for  a 
National  Bank ;  and  his  great  argument  upon  the  implied  powers  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  he  submitted  a  draft  for  the  establishment  of  a 
Mint,  in  which  he  advocated  the  double  standard,  and  advanced  the 
views  which  have  been  practically  and  generally  adopted  by  this 
Government  ever  since. 

In  1 79 1  came  his  elaborate,  comprehensive  report  upon  manufac- 
tures, wherein  he  projected  the  tariff  scheme.  He  was,  consequently, 
the  first  to  advocate  protection  to  American  industries.     In  it  he  wrote : 

If  the  objection  to  a  tariff  for  protection  be,  that  a  country  sparsely  populated  with 
superior  advantages  for  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  is  better  calculated  to  exchange  or  buy 
manufactured  articles  from  other  nations,  it  might  have  much  force,  provided,  the  system 
of  perfect  liberty  to  industry  and  commerce,  were  the  prevailing  system  of  nations. 

In  such  a  position  of  things,  the  United  States  cannot  exchange  with  Europe  on  equal 
terms,  and  it  is  for  them  to  consider  by  what  means  they  can  render  themselves  least  de- 
pendent on  the  combinations  ;  right  or  wrong  ;  of  foreign  policy. 

His  funding  scheme  for  the  ultimate  payment  of  all  the  debts  in- 
curred by  Congress,  as  well  as  the  States,  met  with  the  strongest  oppo- 
sition, but  it  was  a  brilliant  conception,  and  in  every  way  worthy  of  its 
originator.  He  proposed  to  divide  the  debt  into  three  parts,  classed 
as  follows  —  the  foreign  debt  (which  he  proposed  to  pay  first)  ;  the 
domestic  debt ;  and  the  debts  of  the  several  States.  The  first  and 
second,  amounting  to  about  fifty-four  millions,  nearly  all  agreed,  should 
be  paid ;  but  the  States'  debts,  embracing  twenty-five  millions  more, 
were  subjects  of  fierce  contention  and  opposition.  But  Hamilton  per- 
severed, as  usual,  and  prevailed  in  the  end — a  revenue  system  was 
established  for  this  purpose  and  was  successfully  operated,  despite  the 
opposition  of  the  "croakers,"  and  the  stale  party  cry  of  —  "Uncon- 
stitutional." 

As  a  politician,  Hamilton  was  a  magnificent  failure.  He  was 
mediocre  in  nothing.  He  was  either  a  giant  or  a  pigmy,  and  was  the 
latter  only  in  personal  stature  and  party  politics.  He  could  not  be 
all  things  to  all  men  —  he  could  not,  or  would  not,  do  a  little  wrong 
that  much  good  might  result  from  it ;  nor  would  he  "  crook  the  preg- 
nant hinges  of  the  knee "  for  a  consideration  ;  still,  insinuations  of 
this  nature  were  the  stock  in  trade  of  his  enemies.  It  is  true  that  he 
made  a  graceful,  clever  "deal"'  with  that  great,  incorruptible  and  cun- 
ning apostle  of  democracy,  but  it  involved  no  loss  of  honor  to  Hamil- 
ton ;  and,  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  it  should  have  brought  the 
blush  of  consciousness  of  inconsistency  to  the  cheek  of  almost  any 
political  opponent  but  Jefferson. 


"Deal"     with    Jeffe  r^s  on.  1 1  r, 

The  facts  were  -  that  Hamilton  was  in  a  (luandary  ;  his  party  were 
not  unanimous  for  the  support  of  all  his  financial  measures,  and  he 
deemed  them  all  essential  to  the  perfect  workinjr  of  his  plan.  1  le  ap- 
pealed to  Jefferson,  ui)on  c^rounds  of  princii)l(!,to  aid  him;  and  the  latter 
said  :  "  Yes,  if  you  will  help  me  obtain  a  Southern  site  for  the  Capitol." 

A  French  dinner  —  after  the  style  of  Jefferson  —  and  the  thini:^  was 
fixed,  and  both  schemes  were  passed.  Hamilton  did  not  care  where 
the  Capitol  was  located,  but  he  was  solicitous  for  the  success  of  the 
measures  which  he  believed  so  vital  to  the  continuance  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

When  Jefferson,  in  after  years,  was  called  to  account  for  his  action, 
and  when  he  and  his  allies  found  it  good  party  policy  to  take  positive 
ground  against  those  very  measures  which  they  had  themselves  es- 
poused and  put  into  practice,  the  great  Virginian  pleaded  the  "baby 
act"  in  defense  of  his  conduct,  saying,  "Little  Hamilton"  had 
"trifled  with"  and  "duped  him,"  etc.,  which  was  a  most  absurd  ex- 
cuse for  a  politician  possessing  the  astuteness    of  Jefferson. 

Hon.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  the  author  of  an  able  review  of  these 
measures,  says  :  "  Hamilton  reasoned,  that  if  his  financial  policy  could 
be  made  successful,  a  good,  national  government  might  be  built  up, 
and  if  it  proved  too  strong,  and  the  new  system  gave  way  ;  then  the 
Constitution  was  not  worth  preserving  —  of  the  soundness  of  this 
argument,  as  it  seems  to  me,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  But,  after  all 
the  best  evidence  is  in  results. —  There  was  no  public  credit,  Hamilton 
created  it.  There  was  no  circulating  medium,  no  financial  machinery; 
he  supplied  them.  Business  was  languishing,  and  business  revived 
under  the  new  treasury  measures.  There  was  no  government ;  no 
system  with  life  in  it,  only  a  paper  Constitution.  Hamilton  exercised 
the  powers  granted  by  the  Constitution  ;  pointed  out  those  which  lay 
hidden  in  its  dry  clauses  and  gave  vitality  to  the  lifeless  instrument. 
He  drew  out  the  resources  of  the  Country ;  he  exercised  the  powers  of 
the  Constitution  ;  he  gave  courage  to  the  people  ;  he  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  national  government." 

The  writer  must  pass  over  many  of  the  incidents  of  his  career,  dur- 
ing the  six  years  he  remained  in  the  Cabinet.  History  furnishes  the 
details  of  his  many  contests  and  conquests ;  his  controversies  with 
Jefferson,  Freneau,  Madison,  and  Monroe;  the  initiation  of  his  foreign 
policy ;  the  promulgation  of  what  has  since  become  known  as  the 
"Monroe  Doctrine"  ;  his  struggle  with  Genet;  his  selection  by  Wash- 
ington for  the  delicate  and  important  mission  to  England,  when  war 
seemed  imminent ;  and  Washington's  surrender  for  peace's  sake  at  the 
instigation  of  two  jealous  schemers  —  Jefferson  and  Monroe. 


116  A      W  A  R^      S  E  C  I\_E  T  A  I^Y  . 

In  the  summer  of  1792,  troubles  confronted  the  Administration,  and, 
later,  became  so  formidable,  that,  for  a  time,  they  threatened  to  over- 
turn the  Government.  These  were  the  "Whiskey"  and  "Revenue" 
rebellions  in  North  Carolina,  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  The  United 
States  mails  vi^ere  stopped.  Collectors  were  seized,  and  the  Federal 
Authority,  generally,  was  defied.  It  was  another  eruption  of  "  State 
Rights"  Communism,  which  Jefferson  winked  at,  while  Hamilton 
grappled  with  it,  and  said  :  "  Let  us  see  whether  this  Government  is 
good  for  anything  or  not!  "  He  furnished  Washington  with  the  num- 
ber of  arms-bearing  men  in  the  disaffected  sections,  and  submitted  a 
plan  to  crush  the  viper.  Washington  issued  a  call  for  fifteen  thousand 
men,  who  promptly  responded,  and  Washington  and  Hamilton  took 
the  field  again,  to  test  the  coercive  powers  of  the  new  Government. 

Washington  was  obliged  to  return,  but  Hamilton  went  onward,  alone 
supervising  all  the  operations,  and  had  distributed  the  forces  for  action, 
when,  the  insurgents,  seeing  the  determination  of  the  authorities,  sur- 
rendered and  pleaded  for  mercy. 

Complications  afterwards  arose  between  this  Government  and  Eng- 
land. Adams,  the  Minister,  was  sent  home,  and,  following  this,  war 
was  declared,  in  1793,  between  England  and  France,  which  added  to 
the  embarrassment  of  the  young  Nation.  But,  through  it  all,  Hamilton's 
hand  was  seen  and  felt,  and  the  troubles  which  threatened  us  were 
again  averted. 

Jefferson  would  have  pursued  a  different  course,  and  did  his  utmost 
to  curry  favor  with  the  Revolutionists  of  France,  and  make  an  open 
enemy  of  England ;  but  Washington  adhered  to  Hamilton  who  was, 
in  reality,  but  a  citizen,  for  he  had  become  weary  with  the  onerous  bur- 
dens which  public  life  imposed  ;  he  was  disgusted  with  the  schemes  of 
Jefferson,  Adams,  and  other  ambitious  politicians ;  his  health  had 
become  impaired,  and  upon  the  ist  of  December,  1794,  he  transmitted 
to  Washington  the  following  : 

Philadelphia,  December  i,  1794. 
Sir  : 

I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  that  I  have  fixed  upon  the  last  day  of  January,  next, 
as  the  time  for  the  resignation  of  my  office  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  I  make  the 
communication  now,  that  there  may  be  time  to  mature  such  an  arrangement,  as  may 
appear  to  you  proper,  to  meet  the  vacancy  when  it  occurs. 

With  perfect  respect  and  truest  attachment,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  very  ob^'  servant, 

Alex.    Hamilton. 

Hamilton  returned  to  the  practice  of  law,  in  New  York,  but  never 
permitted  his  interest  to  waver  in  support  of  the  Government.    His  pen 


y^DAMS'      [Hostility.  117 

was  continually  employed;  ;uul  he  watched  tlie  progress  of  the  Admin- 
istration, durini^  the  next  two  years  of  its  existence,  with  as  much 
solicitude  as  a  true  parent  would  manifest  for  the  welfare  of  a  child. 

Then  came  another  Presidential  election,  in  which  his  name  was  sug- 
gested for  the  Presidency.  But  Adams  put  himself  forward  —  a  thing 
which  Hamilton  would  not  do  —  and  secured  the  honor.  He  became 
embittered  toward  Washington  and  Hamilton,  and  called  them  many 
undignified  names  during  the  contest,  and,  up  to  the  period  of  his 
inauguration,  believed  that  they  had  not  supported  him  in  good  faith. 
.'\dams  was  self-opinionated,  and  hot-headed,  and  believed  himself 
competent  to  lead  the  party,  but  soon  weakened  and  solicited  again 
their  favor  and  influence. 

Monroe  had  made  himself  an  object  of  hatred  as  Ambassador  at 
the  French  Capitol.  Pinckney  had  been  substituted  and  was  refused  a 
reception.  Thus,  troubles  seemed  to  accumulate ;  and  when  the  war 
cloud  threatened,  all  turned  to  Washington  and  Hamilton.  Provisional 
armies  were  raised  for  defense,  as  France  had  already  commenced  hos- 
tilities by  burning  several  of  our  vessels,  and  public  indignation  was  at 
the  highest  pitch. 

Three  Peace  Commissioners  were  subsequently  appointed  to  settle 
the  matters  of  dispute,  by  arbitration ;  but  no  relaxation  of  preparations 
for  the  equipment  of  the  army  was  considered,  as  the  people  believed 
that  only  the  fate  of  battles  would  decide  the  question.  While  the 
army  was  being  recruited  a  wrangle  arose  as  to  whom  should  command 
it.  The  people  turned  to  Washington  and  Hamilton  —  the  Adminis- 
tration did  not.  Adams  was  gracious  enough  to  tolerate  Washington, 
but  to  take  Hamilton  also  was  too  much  for  his  pride. 

Washington  consented  to  command,  provided  he  was  not  to  serve 
until  hostilities  made  it  absolutely  necessary,  and,  furthermore,  that 
he  should  have  the  privilege  of  designating  his  associates.  Adams 
bowed  to  the  conditions  insisted  upon.  Washington  sent  to  the  Presi- 
dent the  following  names  for  general  officers,  to  rank  in  the  order 
named  :  Hamilton,  Pinckney  and  Knox.  Washington's  name  was  sent 
to  the  Senate  for  confirmation  ;  also,  the  officers  whom  he  had  sug- 
gested, and  all  were  confirmed  in  the  order  named. 

When  the  President  executed  the  appointments  he  signed  Knox's 
commission  first,  as  senior  officer.  Washington,  hearing  of  this,  be- 
came quite  indignant  and  informed  President  Adams  that,  unless 
Hamilton  was  given  the  senior  command,  with  the  others  following  in 
the  order  he  had  named,  he  w^ould  decline  to  serve. 

The  action  of  Adams,  together  with  the  schemes  of  Knox  for 
priority,  annoyed  Hamilton,  who  wrote  Washington   at  great  length. 


118  Washington's     Tp\^iumph. 

deploring  the  feeling  that  had  been  manifested  and  offering  to  serve  in 
any  position,  or  decline  altogether,  in  the  interests  of  harmony  —  clos- 
ing as  follows : 

It  shall  never  be  said,  with  any  color  of  truth,  that  my  ambition  or  interest  has  stood 
in  the  way  of  the  public  good. 

Washington  sought  a  conference  with  Adams,  with  a  determina- 
tion to  compel  him  to  reverse  his  decision ;  but  Adams  had  found  it 
convenient  to  be  absent  for  a  few  days.  In  the  meantime  Washington 
wrote  Hamilton : 

Until  the  result  of  this  is  known,  I  hope  you  will  suspend  a  final  decision,  and  per- 
mit matters  to  remain  in  statu  quo  until  you  hear  again  from  your  affectionate 

Geo.  Washington. 

Adams  returned,  and  after  an  interview  with  Washington,  succumbed 
again  to  the  inevitable,  and  issued  the  first  commission,  of  Major- 
General,  to  Hamilton.  There  was  no  doubt  that  Hamilton  was  better 
fitted  for  the  Senior  Command  of  the  Army,  than  any  other  person  in 
the  United  States,  and  it  was  a  petty,  paltry  littleness  in  Adams  to  be- 
tray such  a  spirit  of  personal  resentment. 

Hamilton  had  no  sooner  received  his  Commission  of  Major-General 
than  he  applied  himself  to  the  preparation  of  the  details  for  the  disci- 
pline, equipment  and  comfort  of  the  Army.  He  drafted  several  bills 
which  were  introduced  and  passed  by  Congress,  including  one  for  a 
Medical  Department,  and  another  for  the  "better  organization  of  the 
Army."  The  inclement  season  was  approaching  and  it  became  his  duty 
to  provide  winter  quarters  for  the  troops.  About  this  time,  the  famous 
artist,  Gilbert  Stuart  (whose  portrait  of  Washington  has  been  so  ex- 
tensively admired  and  copied),  induced  Hamilton  to  undergo  the  ordeal 
of  sitting  for  a  profile,  which  represents  him  in  uniform  —  an  accurate 
copy  of  which  appears  upon  page  72.  This  was  photographed  from 
the  original,  and  kindly  furnished  the  writer  by  his  eldest  living  grand- 
son and  namesake  —  General  Alexander  Hamilton,  now  seventy-two 
years  of  age,  of  Tarrytown-on-Hudson  —  further  reference  to  whom 
will  appear  in  the  course  of  this  chapter.  He  has  also  furnished  the 
writer  with  a  rare  relic  —  an  original  letter  from  the  pen  of  his  great 
ancestor,  which  has  been  reproduced,  and  is  here,  for  the  first  time, 
made  public.  It  is  a  perfect  fac-simile  of  the  original,  which  is  yellow 
with  age,  and  upon  which  the  ink  has  faded  to  a  dull  reddish  brown. 
The  paper  is  of  the  "  laid"  variety,  of  superior  quality,  having  a  rough 
surface,  not  unlike  the  modern  linen  species  of  the  present  day.     The 


/  j^ 


E  L  I  C  .  11'.) 


folds  have  become  so  much  worn,  that  it  has  become  necessary  to 
re-inforce  them  with  mushn.  It  is  a  single  sheet  of  note  size,  and, 
there  being  no  envelopes  in  those  days,  it  was  folded  square,  unsealed, 
and  addressed  upon  the  back  : 

Mrs.  Hamilton, 

26  Broadway. 

This  location,  was  upon  the  west  side  of  the  street,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  Trinity  Church  —  the  most  fashionable  residence  portion 
of  the  city.  This  letter,  addressed  to  his  wife,  was  written  by  him,  at 
Elizabethtown,  while  en  route  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York, —  at  the 
period  of  time  previously  alluded  to,  when  he  was  engaged  in  preparing 
winter  quarters  for  the  army,  and  explains  itself : 


How  rmich  of  Hamilton  is  revealed  in  those  three  sentences:  — 
Patriotism — Duty — Solicitude — Faith — Family — Tenderness.  "  Dear 
John,"  referred  to,  was  his  favorite  son,  if  it  could  be  said  of  him  that 
he  loved  one  more  devotedly  than  the  others.  The  next  day  he 
came  to  New  York,  and  a  few  evenings  afterward  made  a  speech  to 
the  citizens  upon  the  issues  before  the  Country  —  standing  upon  the 
spot  where,  but  a  short  time  before,  he  had  been  assailed  with  stones 
by  the  more  impetuous  citizens  because  of  his  advocacy  of  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  "Jay  Treaty,"  which  was  then  regarded  a  "sop  to  England." 


120  Death     of     Washington. 

His  calm  remark  at  that  time  (when  one  of  the  stones  struck  him  in  the 
forehead)  was^ — "Fellow  citizens  of  the  mob  —  if  you  persist  in  using 
such  striking  arguments,  I  must  necessarily  retire." 

After  making  satisfactory  arrangements  for  the  winter  quarters 
of  the  troops,  and  establishing  a  more  efficient  system  of  drill  and 
discipline  among  them,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  and  originated 
some  plans  for  the  establishment  of  a  Military  school  which,  he  sug- 
gested, should  be  located  at  West  Point.  His  project  embraced  five 
schools  or  departments,  viz.,  the  Fundamental;  the  department  of  En- 
gineers and  Artillery  ;  the  Cavalry  ;  the  Infantry  and  the  Navy. 

The  Infantry  and  Cavalry  were  subsequently  consolidated.  He  sent 
a  draft  of  the  plans  to  Washington,  who  wrote  him  : 

I  sincerely  hope  that  the  subject  will  meet  with  due  attention,  and  that  the 
reasons  for  its  establishment,  which  you  so  clearly  pointed  out  in  your  letter  to  the 
Secretary,  will  prevail  upon  the  Legislature  to  place  it  upon  a  permanent  and  respectable 
footing. 

With  very  great  esteem  and  regard,  I  am,  &c. , 

Geo.   Washington. 

This  letter,  dated  the  12th  of  December,  1799,  was  the  last  ever 
written  by  Washington.  Upon  the  13th  he  was  prostrated  with  pneu- 
monia, and  on  the  14th  the  Patriot's  spirit  took  its  flight.  Hamilton 
was  standing  in  the  street  near  Independence  Hall,  conversing  with 
Sedgwick,  when  the  announcement  was  made,  and  burst  into  tears, 
exclaiming,  "America  has  lost  her  Saviour,  and  I  a  Father! " 

Hamilton,  now  being  chief  in  command,  the  duties  of  superintend- 
ing the  public  ceremonies  pertaining  to  the  obsequies  devolved  upon 
him.  His  official  announcement  of  the  sad  event  to  the  Army  closed 
with  the  following  words  : 

It  only  remains  for  me  to  mingle  my  tears  with  those  of  my  fellow  soldiers ;  cherish- 
ing with  them  the  precious  recollection  that,  while  others  are  paying  a  merited  tribute  to 
The  Man  of  the  Age,  we  in  particular,  allied  as  we  were  to  him  by  a  closer  tie,  are 
called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  kind  and  venerable  Patron  and  Father. 

He  also  sent  a  tender  letter  of  condolence  to  Mrs.  Washington. 
Washington's  death  seems  to  have  been  Jefferson's  opportunity,  and  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  make  the  most  of  the  situation.  Many  of  his  par- 
tisans who  made  pretensions  to  respectability  rejoiced  at  the  death  of 
Washington.  Their  exultations  were  as  loud  and  limidess  as  were 
their  curses  and  bitterness  toward  him  while  he  lived. 

The  thorough  preparation  which  Hamilton  was  making  for  war,  and 
the  successes  of  our  little  navy  over  the  French  privateers  upon  the  ocean, 


Election     of     Jeffe  f^s  o  n 


121 


caused  France  to  hesitate  when,  unexpectedly,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Talleyrand,  an  envoy  arrived,  asking  for  the  appointment  of  a  Commis- 
sion with  authority  to  treat  for  peace  ;  also  requesting  the  appointment 
of  a  Minister  to  that  Country  who  would  be  acceptable.  Adams,  without 
the  knowledge  of  his  Cabinet,  sent  in  the  name  of  a  Mr.  Vans  Murray. 
While  peace  was  desirable,  and  while  Hamilton  believed  that  war  was 
unnecessary,  these  extraordinary  tactics  of  Adams  to  make  peace,  re- 
gardless of  the  action  of  Congress,  caused  more  contentions  and 
•divisions  in  the  party,  and  made  Jefferson's  hopes,  for  the  defeat  of  the 
Federalists  in  the  ensuing  election,  still  brighter. 

When  the  war  feeling  subsided  a  bill  was  passed  by  Congress 
authorizing  the  President  to  disband  the  army.  Hamilton,  soon  after, 
resigned  his  commission,  and  re- 
turned to  the  practice  of  law,  in 
New  York  City,  where  he  soon 
took  rank  amonor  the  ablest  deba- 
ters  and  most  distinguished  jur- 
ists of  those  times.  The  Presi- 
dential contest  had  resulted  in 
the  election  of  Jefferson,  as  a 
'  necessary  sequence  of  the  mal- 
administration of  Adams,  which 
had  split  the  Federalist  party  into 
numerous  factions.  Hamilton 
threw  his  whole  energies  into  the 
contest,  in  opposition  to  the 
Jeffersonian  ticket,  and  was 
beaten,  chiefly  through  the  cor- 
ruptions of  the  w^ard  manipu- 
lators, in  New  York  City,  under 

the  skilful  handling  of  the  most  consummate  political  intriguer  of 
that  day  —  Aaron  Burr. 

He  was  a  Colonel  in  the  American  Army,  having  joined  it  immedi- 
ately after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and,  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  war, 
was  an  Aide  upon  the  staff  of  Washington,  with  the  rank  of  Major, 
but  was  such  a  profligate  in  morals,  and  so  unreliable  generally,  that 
Washington  dismissed  him.  He  belonged,  legitimately,  to  the  Benedict 
Arnold  school  of  humanity,  though  he  was  not  an  intriguer  for  British 
spoils.  He  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Aaron  Burr,  a  President  of  Prince- 
ton College,  and  his  mother  was  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Edwards,  who  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant,  eminent,  theologians 
of  that  day.     Burr  was  born  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  February  6,  1/56. 


AAKUxN    Ub'RR. 


122 


BuRR's     Methods. 


What  a  strange  contrast  is  presented  by  the  antecedents  and  subse- 
quent career  of  those  two  men  —  Hamilton  and  Burr.  How  completely 
the  history  of  the  latter  upsets  the  aphorisms  of  Solomon.  It  may  be 
urged  in  defense  of  Burr,  however,  that  he  was  not  "  trained  up  in  the 
way  he  should  go,"  as  his  parents  both  died  when  he  was  but  three 
years  old.  But  he  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  relatives  and  well  edu- 
cated. He  was  graduated  at  Princeton,  in  1772.  He  volunteered  for 
the  expedition  against  Quebec,  and  was  with  Arnold  during  his  exploits 
upon  the  Canadian  frontier.  He  was  also  with  Montgomery  when  the 
latter  fell.  He  was  a  particular  favorite  with  such  characters  as  Gates 
and  Conway,  and  seems  to  have  found  a  perfect  affinity  in  the  person 
of  General  Putnam,  upon  whose  staff  he  served  for  several  months. 
He  was  at  Valley  Forge,  and  Monmouth,  where  he  partially  distin- 
guished himself.  He  resigned  in  1779.  and  commenced  the  practice  of 
law  in  New  York.  He  was  an  avowed  enemy  of  Washington  and 
Hamilton,  and  an  enthusiastic  disciple  of  Jefferson,  Most  of  his  time 
was  devoted  to  politics  rather  than  law,  and  he  rose  rapidly  in  political 
favor  by  the  peculiar  methods  of  manipulating  the  election  wards  of  the 
City  of  New  York  —  a  system  of  which  he  was  the  author  and  complete 
master.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1784,  securing 
the  appointment  of  Attorney-General  in  1789.  In  1791  he  was  one  of 
the  United  States  Senators.  While  there  he  endeavored  to  procure 
the  appointment  of  Minister  to  France,  but  Washington's  objections  to 
him  were  sufficient  to  convince  a  majority  of  the  Senate  that  it  would 
be  an  unpardonable  offense  to  France,  and  a  lasting  disgrace  upon 
the  American  name,  to  send  a  man  of  Burr's  antecedents  abroad 
in  any  official  capacity.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  Senator  he 
was  again  elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  and  became  involved 
in  a  controversy  with  John  C.  Church,  which  resulted  in  a  bloodless 
duel  between  them. 

Burr's  triumph,  as  the  leader  of  the  Republicans  (as  the  Democrats 
were  then  called),  brought  him  into  still  greater  prominence  as  a  politi- 
cian and  he  became  a  rival  of  Jefferson  for  the  votes  of  the  Electoral 
College.  It  was  found  that,  through  some  inexplicable  error  or  design, 
Jefferson  and  Burr  had  an  equal  number  of  the  votes  cast  in  the  Elec- 
toral College,  which  threw  the  contest  into  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, where  the  Federalist  factions  were  in  the  majority.  The  Adams 
clique  voted  for  Burr  for  President — not  that  they  loved  him,  but 
they  hated  Jefferson  more.  After  thirty-five  unsuccessful  ballots 
a  combination  was  formed,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Hamilton, 
which  elected  Jefferson.  Burr,  under  the  provision  of  the  Constitution 
at  that  time,  became  the  Vice-President.     This  latter  event  was  a  deep 


Hamilton's     Fea  p,^s  .  v>:i 

mortification  to  Hamilton,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  express  himself 
decisively  concerning  Burr's  moral  infirmities,  or,  the  further  fact,  that 
he  believed  Burr  had  corrupted  the  Federalists,  or  a  portion  of  them, 
to  secure  the  object  of  his  selfish  ambition. 

Burr's  prestige  now  waned  rapidly  —  the  members  of  his  own  party 
were  alienated  from  him,  because  of  his  schemes  against  Jefferson, 
and  he  retired  at  the  close  of  his  term  with  few  friends  among  either 
party  in  Congress. 

Hamilton  has  been  severely  criticized  for  the  efforts  he  made, 
after  the  election  in  1800,  to  defeat  Jefferson  in  the  Electoral  Col- 
lege. Much  of  it  seems  unjust.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge  pronounces 
it  "  the  one  dark  spot  in  Hamilton's  whole  public  career,"  and  sup- 
ports his  statement  by  quoting  an  extract  07ily  from  Hamilton's  letter 
to  Jay,  wherein  the  former  is  made  to  say  (and  does  say,  if  the  para- 
graph is  permitted  to  stand  alone),  that  "  we  must  not  be  over-scrupu- 
lous" (meaning  as  to  methods  of  defeating  Jefferson).  Mr.  Lodge  be- 
lieves it  was  an  attempt  to  subvert  public  opinion. 

In  reply  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  votes  which  Burr  secured,  by  a 
system  of  the  most  notorious  trickery  and  frauds  in  New  York  City, 
no  more  expressed  the  honest  will  of  the  people  than  do  some  of  the 
"returns"  from  the  more  recent  elections  in  many  of  the  Southern 
States,  of  which  Mr.  Lodge,  and  the  whole  world,  are  fully  cognizant. 
Hamilton  made  no  point  of  this  in  his  letter  to  Jay  (though  he  did  to 
others),  but  took  higher  ground. 

The  circumstances  at  that  time  should  be  fully  considered  :  Jefferson 
was  regarded  by  the  Federalists  with  actual  suspicion  ;  his  socialistic 
theories,  his  attitude  toward  France,  his  animosity  to  England,  his  wild 
schemes  that  had  been  defeated  by  Washington  and  Hamilton,  were  not 
calculated  to  disarm  suspicion.  Still,  of  the  two  evils  (Jefferson  and 
Burr),  Hamilton  believed  Jefferson  the  lesser,  and  when  it  came  to  the 
inevitable  choice  between  them  he  was  upon  the  side  of  Jefferson. 
He  still  believed  that  the  implied  powers  of  government  might  be  in- 
voked for  its  own  preservation,  in  cases  of  emergency  or  necessity,  as 
much  so  as  did  Jackson  or  Lincoln.  He  sincerely  feared  that  the 
Government  would  be  imperiled ;  and  made  the  prediction  that  if  dis- 
union was  ever  attempted  it  would  be  by  this  same  party  !  If  he  erred 
in  judgment  then,  his  prophecies  were  fully  realized  at  a  later  period ! 
When  he  wrote  to  Jay,  that  "  in  tiincs  like  these  in  which  we  live  it  will 
not  do  to  be  overscrupulous,"  he  continued  as  follows  : 

It  is  easy  to  sacrifice  the  substantial  interests  of  society  by  a  strict  adherence  to 
ordinary  rules.  In  observing  this,  I  shall  not  be  supposed  to  mean,  that  anything  ought 
to  be  done  that  integrity  will  forbid,  but,  merely,  that  the  scruples  of  delicacy  and  pro- 


Letter^    to     J  A" 


124  L/ETTER     TO     Jay. 


priety,  as  relative  to  a  common  course  of  things,  ought  to  yield  to  the  extraordinary 
nature  of  the  crisis.  They  ought  not  to  hinder  the  taking  of  a  legal  and  constitutional 
step  to  prevent  an  Atheist  in  religion  and  a  fanatic  in  politics  from  getting  possession  of 
the  helm  of  State. 

In  another  clause,  suggesting  the  immediate  convening  of  the 
Legislature,  he  says  : 

If  done,  the  motive  ought  to  be  frankly  avowed.  In  your  communication  to  the 
Legislature,  they  ought  to  be  told,  that  temporary  circumstances  had  rendered  it  probable, 
that,  without  their  interposition,  the  Executive  authority  of  the  general  Government 
would  be  transferred  to  hands  hostile  to  the  system  heretofore  pursued  with  so  much 
success  ;  and  dangerous  to  the  peace  and  happiness,  and  order  of  the  Country ;  that 
under  this  impression,  from  facts,  convincing  to  your  own  mind,  you  had  thought  it  your 
duty  to  give  the  existing  Legislature  an  opportunity  of  deliberating,  whether  it  would  not 
be  proper  to  interpose  and  endeavor  to  prevent  so  great  an  evil,  by  referring  the  choice  of 
Electors  to  the  people  —  distributed  into  districts,  etc. 

Before  criticising  Hamilton  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  no  general 
or  uniform  plan  of  choosing  Electors  had  been  or  could  then  be  settled 
upon  by  the  States.  Virginia  had  been  debating  and  disputing  over 
the  subject  for  years.  Jefferson  was  directing  his  followers,  in  differ- 
ent States,  to  pursue  such  methods  as  would  best  promote  his  own 
chances.  Burr  had  canvassed  the  State  of  New  York  ;  he  had  enrolled 
the  name  of  every  resident  and  voter,  knew  their  politics,  and  it  only 
remained  for  him  to  manipulate  a  sufficient  number  of  votes,  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  to  decide  the  election  in  favor  of  Jefferson  who  had  been 
apprised  of  the  project  and  who  wrote  thus  to  Monroe  : 

All  will  depend  on  the  city  election  in  NewYork,  which  furnishes  twelve  members.  . 
.  .  There  is,  therefore,  the  best  prospect  possible,  of  a  decided  majority  on  a  joint 
vote  of  the  two  Houses.  They  are  so  confident  of  it  there  that  the  Republican  party  will 
not  consent  to  elect  either  by  districts  or  a  general  ticket.  They  will  choose  to  do  it  by 
their  Legislature. 

A  letter  from  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  had 
been  sent  to  Hamilton,  informing  him  that  the  Federal  members  of 
that  body,  desired  him  to  urge  Governor  Jay,  of  New  York,  to  convene 
the  Legislature  to  enact  a  law  for  the  selection  of  Presidential  Electors 
directly  by  the  people.  This  was  the  cause  of  his  letter  to  Jay  hereto- 
fore given.  Was  there,  therefore,  anything  dishonorable  in  his  desire 
to  have  the  Governor  give  the  people  an  opportunity  to  consider  the 
question  with  the  purpose  of  reaching  a  definite  settlement  of  it.''  He 
saw  the  schemes  of  Burr  in  the  interests  of  Jefferson  and  sincerely  be- 
lieved, from  his  knowledge  of  the  men,  that  dangers  were  imminent. 
In  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  and  recalling  past  emergencies, 
where    extraordinary  means  and  powers  had  been  invoked  with  the 


JPOLITICAL       SuRPR^ISES 


125 


sin<;^le  object  in  view  for  which  he  contended,  his  soHcitude  (if  motives 
are  considered)  seems  pardonable,  and  his  suggestions  (though  nothing 
resulted  from  them)  do  not  ai)i)ear  so  dark  as  they  have  been  painted. 

Jefferson's  accession  to  power  seems  to  have  subdued  him  or 
endowed  him  with  more  moderation.  With  responsibility  came  con- 
servatism. The  ringing,  patriotic  utterances  of  Hamilton  in  the  late 
Presidential  contest,  and  his  frequent,  pungent  essays  upon  the  past 
reckless  policy  of  the  Republicans,  seem  to  have  brought  Jefferson 
down,  from  his  dalliances  with  Napoleon,  to  the  practical  views  of  a 
level-headed  American. 

The  Republicans  feared  Hamilton  the  more  —  if  that  were  possible  — 
since  his  defeat.  They  pronounced  him  the  "Little  Lion,"  the  "Colossus 
of  the  Federalists,"  and  Aaron  Burr  said  :  "  The  man  who  puts  himself 
on  paper  with  Alexander  Hamilton  is  lost !  " 

Jefferson  and  his  party,  now  anxious  for  respectability  ;  endeavoring, 
by  pledges  of  good  behavior,  to  maintain  their  hold  upon  the  offices, 
saw  the  necessity  of  purging  the  organization  and  proceeded  to  cast 
Burr  out,  and  he  left  the  Vice-Presidency  humiliated,  disappointed,  em- 
bittered, and  avowing  vengeance. 

The  wdiirligig  of  Time  brings  wondrous  changes  and  surprises. 
Aaron  Burr  next  turns  up  as  the  favorite  of  the  Federalists  for  the 
office  of  Governor  of  New  York.  The  Federalists  —  the  pink  of  pro- 
priety and  the  essence  of  respectability  ^  might  have  said.  The  Char- 
latan tempted  us  and  we  did  eat !  The  ghost  of  Washington  could 
not  have  rebuked  them,  for  they  were  demoralized  past  redemption. 
But  the  living  Hamilton,  when  he  heard  of  it,  girded  on  his  armor  again 
and  said  :  "  While  I  live,  Burr  must  not  be  Governor  of  New  York." 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  Hamilton  had  become  famous  in  his 
profession.  Ordinarily,  he  had  no  desire  to  re-enter  the  arena  of 
politics.  Much  might  be  written  in  review  of  the  many  cases  in  which 
he  was  employed,  which  he  managed  with  such  extraordinary  skill,  and 
in  which  he  displayed  so  much  legal  acumen  as  to  challenge  the  univer- 
sal admiration  of  the  Judges  and  members  of  the  bar.  His  great  argu- 
ment before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Albany  in  the  famous  Croswell  libel 
case,  is  one  of  this  character.  The  distinguished  Chancellor  Kent, 
from  whose  notes  the  following  is  taken,  shows  the  general  opinion  of 
his  powers.     He  says  : 

It  was  the  greatest  forensic  effort  Hamilton  ever  made.  He  had  bestowed  unusual 
■attention  on  the  case  and  came  prepared  to  discuss  the  points  of  law  with  a  perfect 
master)'  of  the  subject.  There  was  an  unusual  solemnity  and  earnestness  on  his  part. 
He  was  at  tin'ies  highly  impassioned  and  pathetic.  .  .  .  He  never  before,  in  my 
hearing,  made  any  effort  in  which  he  commanded  higher  reverence  for  his  principles,  nor 
equal  admiration  for  the  power  and  pathos  of  his  eloquence. 


126 


^ 


AMILTON       LrRANGE. 


Such  language  as  this,  from  such  a  source,  would  seem  sufficient  to 
establish  his  rank  among  the  greatest  of  Orators  and  Jurists. 

Hamilton  built  a  residence  upon  the  heights  of  Harlem  which  he 
named  "The  Grange" — after  the  custom  of  his  Scotch  ancestry.  It  is 
still  standing,  in  a  fair  condition  of  preservation,  upon  the  east  side  of 
Tenth  Avenue,  between  One  hundred  and  Forty-second  and  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Streets.  Upon  the  spacious  grounds,  south- 
east of  the  mansion,  is  a  group  of  thirteen  gum  trees,  which  he  planted 
as  symbols  of  the  thirteen  original  States,  They  are  enclosed  by  a 
wooden  fence  and  are  among  the  chief  objects  of  interest  to  visitors. 
A  letter  written  by  him  to  General  Pinckney  shows  how  domesticated 
the  Patriot,  Statesman  and  Jurist  had  become.  The  letter  is  dated 
December  29,  1802  : 


THE  GRANGE. 

My  Dear  Sir  : 

A  garden,  you  know,  is  a  very  useful  refuge  for  a  disappointed  politician.  Accord- 
ingly, I  have  purchased  a  few  acres  about  nine  miles  from  town,  have  built  a  house,  and 
am  cultivating  a  garden.  The  melons  in  your  country  are  very  fine  ;  will  you  have  the 
goodness  to  send  me  some  seed,  both  of  the  water  and  musk  melon  variety.  INIy  daugh- 
ter adds  another  request,  which  is  for  three  or  four  of  your  paroquets.  She  is  very  fond 
of  birds.  If  there  be  any  things  in  this  quarter  the  sending  of  which  can  give  you 
pleasure,  you  have  only  to  name  them.  As  farmers,  a  new  source  of  sympathy  has 
arisen  between  us,  and  I  am  pleased  with  everything  in  which  our  likings  and  tastes  can 
be  approximated. 

Amidst  the  triumphant  reign  of  Democracy,  do  you  retain  sufficient  interest  in  public 
affairs  to  feel  any  curiosity  about  what  is  going  on  ?     In  my  opinion,  the  follies  and  vices 


MiSTORY     Repeats     Itself.  127 

of  (he  administration  have,  as  yet,  made  no  material  impression  l<»  llieir  disadvantage. 
The  last  lullaby  message,  instead  of  i)rovoking  contemj)!,    attracts    j)raisc. 

Mankind  arc  forever  destined  to  he  the  dujjes  of  bold  or  cunning  imposture 

The  groat  embarrassment  must  be,  how  to  carry  on  war  without  taxes.  The  petty  scheme 
of  substituting  economy  to  taxation  will  not  do  here,  and  a  war  would  be  a  terrible 
comment  upon  the  abandonment  of  the  internal  revenue.  Yet  how  is  popularity  to  be 
preserved  with  the  Western  partisans  if  their  interests  are  tamely  sacrificed.  You  know 
my  general  theory  as  to  our  Western  affiiirs.  I  have  always  held  that  the  unity  of  the 
Empire  and  the  best  interests  of  our  Nation  require  that  we  should  annex  to  the  United 
States  all  the  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi  —  New  Orleans  included.  Of  course,  I  infer 
that  in  an  emergency  like  the  present,  energy  is  wisdom. 

Adieu,  and  ever  yours,  &c. 

The  clauses  of  his  letter  referring  to  politics,  read  like  a  modern 
production  and  seem  peculiarly  applicable  to  the  situation  to-day.  The 
same  issues  between  the  parties  and  the  diverse  interests  of  the  various 
States  still  remain.  It  is  the  same  conflict  between  what  were  called 
"  Aristocracy  "  and  "  Democracy."  Statesmen  abound  who  sincerely  be- 
lieve that  our  National  strength  and  security  lie  in  centralization  of 
power  and  accumulation  of  revenue.  Their  opponents  echo  the  party 
cry — "Abolish  taxation  !  Distribute  the  surplus !  Wipe  out  the  tariff  I  " 
Instead  of  taxing  the  people  to  support  the  Government,  to  extend  its 
beneficence  and  develop  its  powers,  they  would  tax  (/.  c,  embarrass) 
the  Government  by  reducing  its  revenue  to  such  a  minimum  as  would 
subserve  their  picayune  policy,  and  continue  its  struggling  existence 
from  day  to  day ;  while  our  coasts  remain  defenceless,  and  every  at- 
tempt to  establish  a  National  system  of  compulsory  education  by  which 
to  combat  prejudice,  and  overcome  illiteracy — the  direst  menace  to  the 
perpetuity  of  a  Republican  form  of  government — is  stubbornly  resisted. 

As  a  consequence  of  these  and  other  shortcomings,  demagoguery 
is  coming  to  the  front,  and  —  under  the  guise  of  Georgeism,  Mostism, 
Socialism,  and  other  species  of  Communism  —  prejudices  and  bitterness 
are  engendered  ;  capital  and  labor  are  brought  into  unnatural  and 
unnecessary  conflict;  and  distress  and  disturbances  must  ensue.  It 
would  be  unjust  to  rate  Socialism  and  Georgeism  in  the  same  cate- 
gory, except  as  absurdities.  Socialism  would  simply  destroy  all  forms 
of  law,  while  Georgeism  would,  in  short,  kindly  carve  up  and  parcel 
out  all  real  estate  "equally"  for  the  assumed  benefit  of  its  deluded 
votaries. 

Though  Socialists  are  multiplying,  there  is  no  Socialism  here  I 
There  are  none  of  the  causes  which,  in  other  countries,  breed  that 
species  of  humanity.  There  are  no  laws  here  to  oppress  them.  No 
wrongs  have  been  inflicted  upon  them,  and  no  theorizing  can  justify 
their  existence  as  a  political  organization.     They  are  chiefly  outlaws, 


128  BuRR^'s     Revenge. 

vagabonds  and  ruffians,  who  can  neither  speak  our  language,  nor  read 
our  laws,  nor  comprehend  their  beneficence. 

Hamilton's  family  consisted  of  seven  children.  His  happy  home  had 
been  clouded  by  the  death  of  the  eldest  son,  Philip,  aged  nineteen,  who 
had  fallen  in  a  duel  on  the  New  Jersey  shore  nearly  opposite  his  father's 
residence.  The  difficulty  arose  in  consequence  of  some  remarks  that 
were  uttered  by  a  bitter  political  partisan,  reflecting  upon  the  motives  of 
his  father  and  the  course  he  had  pursued  in  the  last  political  contest. 
Young  Hamilton  could  not  permit  his  father's  character  to  be  assailed, 
and,  after  some  words  which  resulted  in  a  personal  encounter,  a  challenge 
was  accepted.  Four  shots  were  exchanged  without  effect,  and  a  few 
days  subsequently  they  met  again,  when  young  Hamilton  fell,  mortally 
wounded.  He  was  removed  to  the  family  mansion,  where  he  expired 
twenty-four  hours  later,  in  the  arms  of  his  father.  This  was  the 
greatest  affliction  which  Hamilton  had  ever  experienced. 

It  has  been  stated  that  Hamilton  declared,  that  Burr  should  be 
defeated,  and  this  time  he  took  the  field  in  politics  against  the  Feder- 
alists, (against  Burr,)  and  in  favor  of  the  Democratic  candidate,  Lewis, 
who  was  elected  governor  by  a  majority  of  five  thousand.  Burr's 
colonization  schemes  were  insufficient  to  overcome  the  power  of  public 
opinion.  Defeated  —  cast  off  by  both  parties  —  humiliated  —  exas- 
perated—  he  swore  vengeance  upon  Hamilton  and  concocted  a  plot  to 
kill  him.  He  did  not  propose  to  defy  the  law's  penalty,  by  shooting 
him  down  publicly ;  but  the  duelling  code  was  a  recognized  affair  in 
those  times  and  he  set  himself  about  discovering  a  pretext  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  purposes.  He  had  impoverished  himself  in  the  last 
campaign  and  needed  money  to  supply  his  legitimate  and  illegitimate 
wants.  He  professed  a  passing  friendship  for  Hamilton,  and  one 
morning  rode  up  to  the  Hamilton  mansion,  and,  calling  his  political 
rival  out  from  his  breakfast  table,  solicited  a  loan  of  two  hundred  dol- 
lars. Hamilton  replied  that  he  did  not  have  it,  but  would  procure  it 
for  him.  True  to  his  promise  he  borrowed  the  amount  from  a  friend, 
and,  giving  his  note  therefor,  sent  the  money  to  Burr.  Burr,  in  the 
meantime,  was  at  work  examining  the  published  speeches  and  letters 
written  by  Hamilton  during  the  campaign  for  something  sufficiently 
offensive,  personally,  upon  which  to  base  his  machination  against  the 
latter's  life.  He  knew,  very  well,  Hamilton's  private  and  publicly- 
expressed  opinion  of  him,  which  did  not  differ  from  that  of  thousands 
of  his  countrymen.  For  two  months  past  he  had  been  practicing  daily 
in  his  garden,  with  his  pistol.  At  last  he  interested  one  W.  P.  Van  Ness 
in  his  designs,  and  Van  Ness  stated  that  he  had  frequendy  heard  it 
said   that    Hamilton   had  spoken  disrespectfully  of  him.      Then  one 


B  u  R  F^    TO     Hamilton.  1i>!> 

Charles  D.  Cooper  wrote  Burr,  that  }iamilton  had  pronounced  him  ( Burr) 
despicable,  in  one  or  more  instances  during  the  campaign.  Burr,  conse- 
quently, made  the  most  of  this  opportunity  and  enclosed  the  letter  to 
Hamilton,  writing  him  at  the  same  time  : 

New  York,  June  18,  1S04. 
Sir  : 

I  send  for  your  perusal  a  letter  signed  Charles  D.  Cooper  wiiicli,  thoUi;h  ajjparently 
published  some  time  ago,  has  but  recently  come  to  my  knowledge.  Mr.  Van  Ness,  who 
does  me  the  favor  to  deliver  this,  will  point  out  to  you  that  clause  of  the  letter  to  which  I 
particularly  request  your  attention. 

You  must   perceive,  Sir,  the  necessity  of  a  prompt,  unqualified  acknowledgment  or 
denial  of  the  use  of  any  expression  which  wouUi  warrant  the  assertions  of  Dr.  Cooper. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  ob't  servant.  A.   Burr. 

General  Hamilton. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  at  this  particular  time.  Burr  was  exceedingly 
desperate.  He  was  wrecked  politically  and  financially  ;  his  practice  had 
dwindled  to  insie^nificance  from  lone:  ne<jlect ;  his  vices  and  excesses 
of  every  nature  had  undermined  his  constitution,  and  poverty  stared 
him  in  the  face.  He  had  not  refunded  the  money  that  Hamilton  loaned 
him,  nor  was  he  able  to  do  so. 

Hamilton  delayed  answering  Burr's  letter  for  a  day  or  two,  to  con- 
sider the  subject,  and  after  submitting  it  to  several  of  his  friends  for 
their  opinion,  wrote  him  on  the  20th  as  follows  : 

Sir  : 

I  have  reflected  maturely  on  the  subject  of  your  letter  of  the  i8th  inst. ,  and  the  more 
I  have  reflected  the  more  I  am  convinced  that  I  could  not,  without  manifest  impropriety, 
make  the  avowal  or  disavowal  which  you  seem  to  think  necessary.  The  clause  pointed 
out  by  Mr.  Van  Ness  is  in  these  terms  :  "I  could  detail  to  you  a  still  more  deKpicahle 
opinion  which  General  Hamilton  has  expressed  of  l\Ir.  Burr."  To  endeavor  to  discover 
the  meaning  of  this  declaration,  I  was  obliged  to  seek  in  the  antecedent  part  of  this  letter 
for  the  opinion  to  which  it  referred  as  having  been  already  disclosed.  I  found  it  in  these 
words:  "General  Hamilton  and  Judge  Kent  have  declared  in  substance  that  they 
looked  upon'Mr.  Burr  to  be  a  dangerous  man,  and  one  who  ought  not  to  be  trusted  with 
the  reins  of  the  Government." 

The  language  of  Dr.  Cooper  plainly  implies  that  he  considered  this  opinion  of  you, 
which  he  attributed  to  me,  as  a  despicable  one  ;  but  he  affirms  that  I  have  expressed  some 
other,  more  despicable,  (without,  however,  mentioning  to  whom,  when,  or  where.  'Tis 
evident  the  the  phrase  Still  more  despicable  admits  of  infinite  shades  from  very  light 
to  very  dark.  How  am  I  to  judge  of  the  degree  intended  .''  Or  how  shall  I  annex  any 
precise  idea  to  language  so  indefinite  ? 

Between  gentlemen  "despicable"  and  "more  despicable"  are  not  worth  the  pains 
of  distinction,  when,  therefore  you  do  not  interrogate  me  as  to  the  opinion  which  is 
specifically  ascribed  to  me,  I  must  conclude  that  you  view  it  as  within  the  limits  to  which 
the  animadversions  of  political  opponents  upon  each  other  may  justifiably  extend  ;  and, 
consequently,  as  not  warranting  the  idea  of  it,  which  Dr.  Cooper  appears  to  entertain. 


130  Hamilton     to     Burr^. 

If  so,  what  precise  inference  could  you  draw,  as  a  guide  for  your  conduct,  were  I  to 
acknowledge  that  I  had  expressed  an  opinion  of  you  "still  more  despicable"  than  the 
one  that  is  particularized  ?  How  could  you  be  sure  that  even  this  opinion  had  exceeded 
the  bounds  which  you  yourself  deem  admissible  between  political  opponents  ? 

But  I  forbear  further  comment  on  the  embarrassment  to  which  the  requisition  you 
have  made  naturally  leads.  The  occasion  forbids  a  more  ample  illustration,  though 
nothing  could  be  more  easy  than  to  pursue  it. 

Repeating  that  I  cannot  reconcile  it  with  propriety  to  make  the  acknowledgment  or 
denial  you  desire,  I  will  add  that  I  deem  it  inadmissible,  on  principle,  to  consent  to  be 
interrogated  as  to  the  justness  of  the  inferences  which  may  be  drawn-  by  others  from 
whatever  I  may  have  said  of  a  political  opponent  in  the  course  of  fifteen  years  competi- 
tion. If  there  were  no  other  objection  to  it,  this  is  sufficient,  that  it  would  tend  to  ex- 
pose my  sincerity  and  delicacy  to  injurious  imputations  from  every  person  who  may  at 
any  time  have  conceived  the  import  of  my  expressions  differently  from  what  I  may  then 
have  intended  or  may  afterwards  recollect.  I  stand  ready  to  avow  or  disavow  promptly 
or  explicitly  any  precise  or  definite  opinion  which  I  maybe  charged  with  having  declared 
of  any  gentleman.  More  than  this  cannot  fitly  be  expected  from  me  ;  and,  especially,  it 
cannot  be  reasonably  expected  that  I  shall  enter  into  an  explanation  upon  a  basis  so  vague 
as  that  which  you  have  adoped.  I  trust  on  further  reflection  that  you  will  see  the  matter 
in  the  same  light  with  me.  If  not,  I  can  only  regret  the  circumstances,  and  must  abide 
the  consequences. 

The  publication  of  Dr.  Cooper  was  never  seen  by  me  till  after  the  receipt  of 
your  letter.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. , 

A.  Hamilton. 
Col.   Burr. 

It  will  be  noticed  by  how  slender  a  thread  hung  Burr's  real  or  sup- 
posed grievances.  They  were  founded  solely  upon  inferences  vague 
and  indefinite.  He  might  have  sent,  with  equal  propriety,  the  same 
challenge  to  Chancellor  Kent. 

Burr  was  an  accomplished  scholar  and  a  letter  writer  of  no  mean 
order,  and  replied  upon  the  following  day  : 

Sir  : 

Your  letter  of  20th  inst.  has  been  this  day  received.  Having  considered  it  atten- 
tively, I  regret  to  find  in  it  nothing  of  that  sincerity  and  delicacy  which  you  profess 
to  value. 

Political  opposition  can  never  absolve  gentlemen  from  the  necessity  of  a  rigid  adher- 
ence to  the  laws  of  honor  and  the  rules  of  decorum.  I  neither  claim  such  privilege  nor 
indulge  it  in  others.  The  common  sense  of  mankind  affixes  to  the  epithet  adopted  by 
Dr.  Cooper  the  idea  of  dishonor.  It  has  been  publicly  applied  to  me  under  the  sanction 
of  your  name.  The  question  is  not  whether  he  has  understood  the  meaning  of  the  word, 
or  has  used  it  according  to  syntax  and  with  grammatical  accuracy  ;  but  whether  you  have 
authorized  this  application,  either  directly  or  by  uttering  expressions  or  opinions  deroga- 
tory to  my  honor.  The  time  "when  "  is  in  your  own  knowledge,  but  no  way  material 
to  me,  as  the  calumny  has  now  first  been  disclosed,  so  as  to  become  the  subject  of  my 
notice,  and  as  the  efTect  is  present  and  palpable,  your  letter  has  furnished  me  with  new 
reasons  for  requiring  a  definite  reply. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir,  your  obedient  A.   Burr. 

General  Hamilton. 


"Say,     what     is    Wonof^?"  1:51 

The  word  "  palpable,"  in  the  foregoing,  evidently  refers  to  the  fact  of 
his  political  defeat,  which  he  justly  ascribed  to  the  efforts  of  1  lamilton, 
and  wliicli  was  the  real  cause  of  Burr's  desire  to  kill  him.  It  seems 
absurb  that  he  should  entertain  any  serious  convictions  of  Hamilton's 
ability  to  misrepresent  him.  It  was  the  truth  that  hurt  him.  I  lis  sen- 
sitiveness must  have  been  assumed,  when  he  used  the  term  "  deroga- 
tory to  my  honor,"  for  he  had  long  passed  the  stage  of  honor — if, 
indeed,  he  ever  possessed  such  a  virtue.  He  was  a  moral,  social,  pro- 
fessional and  political  outcast,  and  no  one  was  more  conscious  of  it 
than  himself;  and  if  he  had  not,  during  his  miserable  existence  for 
nearly  half  a  century,  made  it  apparent  to  the  world,  he  was  now  pre- 
paring for  the  final  act  to  crown  his  base  career.  What  had  Burr  to  do 
with  Jionor  in  the  sense  which  Wordsworth  describes  : 

Say,  what  is  honor?    '  Tis  the  finest  sense 
Of  justice  which  the  human  mind  can  frame, 
Intent  each  kirking  fraiUy  to  disclaim, 
And  guard  the  way  of  Hfe  from  all  offense 
Suffered  or  done. 

After  the  receipt  of  Burr's  second  letter,  Hamilton  called  upon  his 
friend  Colonel  Pendleton,  who  was  formerly  an  Aide  upon  the  Staff  of 
General  Greene,  and  communicated  to  him  the  substance  of  Burr's 
letters.  Colonel  Pendleton  called  upon  Van  Ness  and  endeavored  to 
convince  him  of  the  propriety  of  Hamilton's  course,  advising  him  to 
consult  Burr,  with  the  object  of  ascertaining  whether  the  differences 
might  not  be  amicably  settled.  Neither  Burr  nor  Van  Ness  manifested 
any  desire  for  harmony.  Hamilton  felt  aggrieved  by  the  insulting  tone 
of  Burr's  second  letter  and  replied  to  it  as  follows  : 

New  York,  June  22,  1804. 
Sir  : 

Your  first  letter,  in  a  style  too  peremptory,  made  a  demand,  in  my  opinion,  unprece- 
dented and  unwarrantable.  IVIy  answer,  pointing  out  the  embarrassment,  gave  you  an 
opportunity  to  take  a  less  exceptional  course.  You  have  not  chosen  to  do  it ;  but  by 
your  last  letter,  received  this  day,  containing  expressions  indecorous  and  improper,  you 
have  increased  the  difficulties  to  explanation  intrinsically  incident  to  the  nature  of  your 
application. 

If  by  a  "  definite  reply "'  you  mean  the  direct  avowal  or  disavowal  required  in  your 
first  letter,  I  have  no  other  answer  to  make  than  that  which  has  already  been  given.  If 
you  mean  anything  different,  it  is  requisite  you  should  explain. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir,  your  ob't  servant,  Alex.    Hamilton. 

Aaron  Burr,  Esq. 

After  this  was  delivered  by  Colonel  Pendleton  upon  the  2  5th, 
(Hamilton  having  carried  it  in  his  pocket  three  days,)  a  lengthy  com- 


132 


Van    Ness     and     Pendleton. 


munication   was    received    by   Colonel    Pendleton    from    Van    Ness». 
closinor  thus  : 


& 


The  necessity  of  this  measure  has  not,  in  my  opinion  of  Colonel  Burr,  been  dimin- 
ished by  the  General's  last  letter  or  any  communication  which  has  been  received.  I  am, 
consequently,  again  instructed  to  deliver  you  a  message  as  soon  as  it  may  be  convenient 
for  you  to  receive  it.  I  beg,  therefore,  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  inform  me  at  what  hour 
I  can  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you. 

Van  Ness  had  previously  informed  Hamilton  that  he  would  be 
obliged  if  he  would  designate  some  time  and  place,  other  than  at  his 
residence,  where  a  message  could  be  delivered  to  him.  Hamilton 
was  at  this  date  spending  much  of  his  time  at  home  in  the  preparation 
of  some  important  cases  to  be  tried  at  the  coming  term  of  Court. 

To  the  letter  from  Van  Ness  to  Pendleton,  the  latter  replied  at  con- 
siderable length,  reviewing  the  whole  matter.     He  says  : 

While  General  Hamilton  is  prepared  to  meet  any  particular  case  fairly  and  fully,  he 
thinks  it  inadmissible  that  he  should  be  expected  to  answer  at  large  as  to  everything  that 
he  may  possibly  have  said  in  relation  to  the  character  of  Colonel  Burr  at  any  time  and 
upon  any  occasion.  Though  he  is  not  conscious  that  any  charges  which  are  in  circula- 
tion to  the  prejudice  of  Colonel  Burr  have  originated  with  him,  except  one  which  may 
have  been  so  considered,  and  which  has  long  since  been  fully  explained  between  Colonel 
Burr  and  himself,  yet  he  cannot  consent  to  be  questioned  generally  as  to  rumours  which 
may  be  afloat  derogatory  to  the  character  of  Colonel  Burr,  without  specification  of  the 
several  rumours,  many  of  them  probably  unknown  to  him.  He  does  not,  however,  mean 
to  authorize  any  conclusion  as  to  the  real  nature  of  his  conduct  in  relation  to  Colonel 
Burr  by  his  declining  so  loose  and  vague  a  basis  of  explanation,  and  he  disavows  an 
unwillingness  to  come  to  a  satisfactory,  provided  it  be  an  honourable,  accommodation. 

His  objection  is,  the  very  indefinite  ground  which  Colonel  Burr  has  assumed,  in  which 
he  is  sorry  to  be  able  to  discern  nothing  short  of  premeditated  hostility. 

Presuming,  therefore,  that  it  will  be  adhered  to,  he  has  instructed  me  to  receive  the 
message  which  you  have  in  charge  to  deliver.  For  this  purpose  I  shall  be  at  home  and 
at  your  command  to-morrow  morning,  from  eight  to  ten  o'clock. 

I  have  the  honour,  &c., 

Nathaniel  Pendleton. 
W.  P.  Van  Ness,  Esq. 

Van  Ness  replied  upon  the  following  day,  delivering  it  in  person  at 
the  time  requested.  His  letter  covers  several  pages  and  is  an  attempt 
to  justify  the  position  from  which  Burr  would  not  recede.  In  it  he  says  : 

Col.  Burr  can  only  reply  that  secret  whispers  traducing  his  fame  and  impeaching  his 
honour  are  at  least  equally  injurious  with  slanders  publicly  uttered ;  that  Gen'l 
Hamilton  had  at  no  time  and  in  no  place  a  right  to  use  any  such  injurious  expressions, 
and  that  the  partial  negative  he  is  disposed  to  give,  with  the  reservations  he  wishes  to 

make,  are  proofs  that  he  has  done  the  injury  specified Col.  Burr  trusted 

with  confidence  that  from  the  frankness  of  a  soldier  and  the  candour  of  a  gentleman,  he 


Th  e     Challenge. 


i:{:{ 


nii^'Iil  expect  an  inj^'onuous  tlrclaialioii 'i'lic  close  of  General    Hamilton's 

letter  containeil  an  iniiinalinn  tluu  if  Col.  Hurr  siiouKI  dislike  his  refusal  to  acknowledge 
or  deny,  he  was  reaily  to  uulI  the  consc(iucuces.  '1  his,  Col.  liiirr  deemed  a  sort  of 
defiance  and  would  have  fell  justified  in  makinii;  it  the  basis  of  an  iiiiinediate  message. 
Col.  ]5urr  disavows  all  motives  of  premeditated  hostihtw  a  charge  by  which 
he  thinks  insult  is  aihletl  to  injurv.  He  feels  as  a  gentleman  should  feel  when  his  honour 
is  impeached  or  assailed,  and  without  sensations  of  hostility  or  wishes  of  revenge  he  i.s 
determined  to  vindicate  that  honour  at  such  hazard  as  the  nature  of  the  case  demands. 

The  length   to   which   this   correspondence   has  extended,  only  tending  to  i)rovc  that 
the  satisfactory  redress,  earnestl)'  desired,  cannot  he  obtained,  he  deems  it  useless  to  offer 
any  iiroposition  except  the  sim})Ie  message  whicli  I  shall  now  have  the  honour  to  deliver. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be  with  great  respect. 

Your  obedient  antl  very  humble  servant,  &c. 
Wednesday  ]Morning,  June  27,  1S04. 

While  this  was  the  hand  of  Van  Ness,  it  was  the  voice  of  Burr. 
Such  evidence  and  conclusions^ — such  sophistry  and  miserable  petti- 
foo^ging  —  to  make  out  a  flagrant  case  of  wounded  honor,  were  char- 
acteristic of  the  man  and  the  foul  purpose  he  cherished.  So,  also, 
the  unwarranted  attempt  to  place  Hamilton  in  an  attitude  of  defiance 
—  as  courting  or  soliciting  a  challenge  —  by  referring  to  his  willingness 
to  "abide,  the  consequences."  Burr  knew  what  Hamilton  meant  by' 
this  phrase  ;  but  Burr  was  not  the  man,  nor  was  his  the  character,  that 
could  withstand  a  legal  scrutiny  before  the  Courts  in  an  attempt  to 
maintain  an  action  for  libel.  Nor  was  this  what  he  desired;  therefore 
the  challenofe  was  sent. 

The  letter  last  mentioned,  together  with  the  challenge,  were  sub- 
mitted to  Hamilton  the  same  eveninfj.  He  was  loath  to  believe  that 
Burr  was  in  earnest,  except  upon  presumptions  of  actual  personal  hos- 
tility that  would  not  stop  short  of  assassination  if  necessary.  He  now 
saw  no  way  to  avoid  a  conflict,  yet  he  drew  up  a  paper  for  Pendleton  to 
submit  to  Van  Ness  before  formally  accepting  the  challenge,  which  \"an 
Ness  refused  to  receive,  stating  that  no  further  explanations  were  neces- 
sary. He  accepted  the  challenge  while  engaged  in  Court,  attending  to 
the  interests  of  his  clients.  He  also  drew  up  a  paper,  to  be  opened  in 
case  the  hostile  meetino^  should  occur,  in  which  he  seems  to  have  had  a 
presentiment  of  the  result.  He  was  no  duelist,  but  knew  Burr's  repu- 
tation as  such.  The  following  are  some  of  the  clauses  of  the 
document.  % 

I  was  certainly  desirous  of  avoiding  this  interview  for  the  most  cogent  reasons: 

1.  My  religious  and  moral  principles  are  strongly  opposed  to  the  practice  of  dueling, 
and  it  would  ever  give  me  pain  to  be  obliged  to  shed  the  blood  of  a  fellow  creature  in  a 
private  combat  forbidden  by  the  laws. 

2.  My  wife  and  children  are  extremely  dear  to  me,  and  my  life  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  them  in  various  views. 


134  A       p  E  C  L  A  P^A  T  I  O  N  . 

3.  I  feel  a  sense  of  obligation  towards  my  creditors  ;  who,  in  case  of  accident  to  me, 
by  the  forced  sale  of  my  property,  may  be,  in  some  degree,  sufferers.  I  did  not  think 
myself  at  liberty,  as  a  man  of  probity,  lighdy  to  expose  them  to  this  hazard. 

4.  I  am  conscious  of  no  ill  lodl  to  Col.  Burr,  distinct  from  political  opposition,  which, 
as  I  trust,  has  proceeded  from  pure  and  upright  motives. 

Lastly.  I  shall  hazard  much  and  can  possibly  gain  nothing  by  the  issue  of  the  inter- 
view. But  it  was,  as  I  concei^•e,  impossible  for  me  to  avoid  it.  There  were  intrinsic 
difficulties  in  the  way,  and  artificial  embarrassments  from  the  manner  of  proceeding  on 
the  part  of  Col.  Burr. 

Intrinsic  because  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  my  animadversions  on  the  political  prin- 
ciples, character  and  views  of  Col.  Burr  have  been  extremely  severe  ;  and  on  diflerent 
occasions  I,  in  common  with  many  others,  have  made  very  unfavorable  criticisms  in 
particular  instances  on  the  private  conduct  of  this  gentleman. 

In  proportion  as  these  impressions  were  entertained  with  sincerity,  and  uttered  with 
motives  and  for  purposes  which  might  appear  to  me  commendable,  would  be  the  difficulty 
(until  they  could  be  removed  by  evidence  of  their  being  erroneous)  of  explanation  or 
apology.  The  disavowal  required  of  me  by  Col.  Burr,  in  a  general  and  indefinite  form, 
was  out  of  my  power,  if  it  had  been  proper  for  me  to  submit  to  be  so  questioned  ;  but  I 
was  sincerely  of  opinion  that  this  could  not  be,  and  in  this  opinion  I  was  confirmed  by 
that  of  a  very  moderate  and  judicious  friend  whom  I  consulted.  Besides  that.  Col.  Burr 
appeared  to  assume,  in  the  first  instance,  a  tone  unnecessarily  peremptory  and  menancing, 
and  in  the  second  partially  ofi'ensive.  Yet  I  wished,  as  far  as  might  be  practicable,  to 
leave  a  door  open  to  accommodation.  This,  I  think,  will  be  inferred  from  the  written 
communications  made  by  me,  and  by  my  directions,  and  would  be  confirmed  by  the 
conversations  between  Mr.  Van  Ness  and  myself,  which  arose  out  of  the  subject.  I  am 
not  sure,  whether,  under  all  the  circumstances,  I  did  not  go  further  in  the  attempt  to 
accommodate  than  a  j)unctilious  delicacy  will  justify.  If  so,  I  hope  the  motives  I  have 
stated  will  excuse  me. 

It  is  not  my  design,  by  what  I  have  said,  to  affix  any  odium  on  the  conduct  of  Col. 
Burr  in  this  case.  He  doubtless  has  heard  of  animadversions  of  mine  which  bore  very 
hard  upon  him,  and  it  is  probable  that,  as  usual,  they  were  accompanied  with  some  false- 
hoods. He  may  have  supposed  himself  under  a  necessity  of  acting  as  he  has  done.  I 
hope  the  grounds  of  his  proceeding  have  been  such  as  to  justify  his  conscience. 

I  trust,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  world  will  do  me  the  justice  to  believe  that  I  have 
not  censured  him  on  light  grounds  nor  from  unworthy  inducements.  I  certainly  have 
had  strong  reasons  for  what  I  may  have  said,  though  it  is  possible  that,  in  some  particu- 
lars, I  may  have  been  influenced  by  misconstruction  or  misinformation.  It  is  also  my 
ardent  wish  that  I  may  have  been  more  mistaken  than  I  think  I  have  been  and  that  he, 
by  his  future  conduct,  may  show  himself  worthy  of  all  confidence  and  esteem  and  prove 
an  ornament  and  blessing  to  the  Country.  As  well,  because  it  is  possible  that  I  may  have 
injured  Col.  Burr,  however  convinced  myself  that  my  opinions  and  declaration  have  been 
well  founded,  as  from  my  general  principles  and  temper  in  relation  to  similar  afi"airs,  I 
have  resolved,  if  our  interview  is  conducted  in  the  usual  manner,  and  it  pleases  God  to 
give  me  the  opportunity  to  reserve  and  throtv  aicay  my  first  fire,  and  I  have  thoughts  even 
of  reserving  my  second  fire  —  and  thus  giving  a  double  opportunity  to  Col.  Burr  to  pause 
and  reflect.  It  is  not,  however,  my  intention  to  enter  into  any  explanations  on  the 
ground.  Apology  from  principle  I  hope  rather  than  pride,  is  out  of  the  question.  To 
those  who,  with  me,  abhor  the  practice  of  dueling,  may  think  that  I  ought  on  no  account 
to  have  added  to  the  number  of  bad  examples,  I  answer,  that  my  relative  situation,  as 
well  in  public  as  private,  enforcing  all  the  considerations  which  constitute  what  men  of 
the  world  denominate  honour,  impose  upon  me  ( as  I  think )  a  peculiar  necessity  not 


Will,    and    Last    Letter^. 


135 


to  decline  llic  call.  'I'lic  ahilily  l«)  lie  in  fuuiic  useful,  whether  in  resisting  mischief  or 
cITccting  good,  in  Uiosc  crises  of  our  public  alVairs  which  seem  likely  to  happen,  would 
prohaMy  he  inst'iiaialile  from  a  conformity  wit!i  ]iul)lic  prejudice,  in  this  ])articular. 

A.    II. 

This  calm,  con.sistent,  judicious  declaration  of  his  j)iiri)oscs,  and 
complete  justification  of  his  course  throughout  the  controversy,  furn- 
ish a  fittini^  close  to  his  eventful,  laborious,  illustrious  career.  The 
next  act  was  the  preparation  of  his  will.  In  the  shadow  of  his  impend- 
ing doom,  in  the  presence  of  wife,  children  and  friends,  in  the  home 
he  loved,  which  nature  and  art  had  so  lavishly  adorned,  he  sat  down 
to  his  task,  in  the  library,  through  whose  open  window  came  the  warbling 
of  birds  and  the  perfiune  of  flowers,  and  through  which  he  could  gaze 
across  the  river  to  the  Jersey  shore  —  to  the  fated  spot  where,  but  three 
years  before,  his  cherished  son,  Philip,  had  sacrificed  his  life  for  a  father's 
honor,  and  to  which  place,  in  a  few  short  hours,  he,  too,  must  repair  — 
to  meet,  under  like  circumstances,  a  vicious,  unprincipled  and  blood- 
thirsty antagonist.     One  of  the  clauses  of  his  will  was  the  following  : 

>  Though  if  it  shall  please  God  to  spare  my  life,  I  may  look  for  a  considerable  surplus 
out  of  my  present  property,  yet  if  He  should  speedily  call  me  to  the  eternal  World,  a 
forced  sale,  as  is  usual,  may  possibly  render  it  insufficient  to  satisfy  my  debts.  I  pray 
God  that  something  may  remain  for  the  maintenance  and  education  of  my  dear  children. 
But  should  it  on  the  contrary  happen  that  there  is  not  enough  for  the  payment  of  my 
debts,  I  entreat  my  dear  children ;  if  they  or  any  of  them,  shall  ever  be  able  ;  to  make  up 
the  deficiency.  I  without  hesitation  commit  to  their  discretion  a  wish  which,  is  dictated  by 
my  own.  Though  conscious  that  I  have  too  far  sacrificed  the  interests  of  my  family  to 
public  avocations,  and  on  this  account  have  the  less  claim  to  burthen  my  children,  yet  I 
trust  in  their  magnanimity  to  appreciate,  as  they  ought,  this  my  request. 

In  so  unfavorable  an  event  of  things,  the  support  of  their  dear  mother  with  the  most 
respectful  and  tender  attention  is  a  duty,  all  the  sacredness  of  which  they  will  feel. 
Probably  her  own  patrimonial  resources  will  preserve  her  from  indigence.  I3ut  in  all  situ- 
ations they  are  charged  to  bear  in  mind  that  she  has  been  to  them  the  most  devoted  and 
best  of  mothers.  In  testimony  of  which  I  have  hereunto  subscribed  my  hand  the  ninth 
day  of  July  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  four. 

Alexander  Hamilton. 
[Three  witnes.'ses.] 

Upon  Tuesday,  the  loth,  he  visited  several  friends,  closed  some 
of  his  accounts,  and  arranged  with  other  attorneys  to  take  up  the  law 
cases  in  the  various  stasfes  where  he  had  or  mio[ht  leave  them.  He 
wrote  from  his  office,  several  letters:  one  to  Oliver  Wolcott,  one  to 
Theodore  Sedgwick,  and  others  to  life-long  friends.  He  made  a  last  call 
upon  his  devotedfriendTroupabout  five  in  the  afternoon,  then  repaired 
to  his  residence.  At  ten  o'clock  that  night  he  addressed  a  farewell  letter 
to  his  wife,  which  was  entrusted  to  his  friend  Pendleton  to  deliver  if 
necessary.     He  then  passed  from  the  library  to  the  parlor,  where  he 


136  DuelandDeath. 

found  the  youngest  child  and  asked  him  if  he  would  sleep  with  him.. 
After  reciting  with  him  the  Lord's  prayer,  both  slept  until  morning, 
when  he  arose  early,  kissed  his  wife  and  children  adieu,  and  with 
Pendleton  and  a  friend  passed  down  the  steps  of  his  mansion,  never  to 
return. 

The  morning  of  the  iith  was  foggy,  the  river  mists  were  dense 
and  the  air  was  sultry.  It  was  seven  oclock  when  they  reached  the 
Jersey  shore,  and  proceeding  up  the  river  bank  to  the  place  of  meeting 
they  saw  Burr  and  Van  Ness,  with  their  coats  off,  cutting  away  the 
shrubbery.  Burr  wore  knee  breeches  and  silk  stockings.  In  half  an 
hour  the  parties  were  at  their  appointed  places.  Neither  spoke  except 
to  their  respective  seconds.  Pendleton  drew  the  choice  of  positions 
and  asked  Hamilton,  when  handing  him  a  pistol,  if  he  would  have  the 
hair  spring  set.  The  latter  replied,  "  Not  this  time."  When  the  signal 
was  given.  Burr  fired  instantly  —  the  ball  entering  Hamilton's  right 
side  —  who  turned  slightly  and  fell  forward  upon  his  face,  his  pistol  ex- 
ploding in  the  air  as  he  fell.  When  the  surgeon  advanced  to  examine 
Hamilton,  Van  Ness  raised  his  umbrella  to  shield  Burr  from  view  and 
they  hastily  withdrew.  Dr.  Hosack,  the  surgeon,  states  :  "I  found 
Hamilton  half  sitting  upon  the  ground,  in  the  arms  of  Mr.  Pendleton. 
His  death-like  countenance  I  can  never  forcjet.  He  articulated  with 
difficulty,  '  Doctor,  this  is  a  mortal  wound.'  Then  he  became  uncon- 
scious. We  conveyed  him  down  to  the  river  bank  ;  placed  him  in 
the  boat,  rowed  across  to  the  opposite  shore  and  carried  him  to  the 
house  of  William  Bayard,  when  he  soon  recovered  consciousness." 

Bishop  Moore  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mason  shortly  after  called  on  him. 
Hamilton  asked  for  his  wife  and  children,  who  were  immediately  sum- 
moned. In  his  conversation  with  Dr.  Mason,  who  offered  prayers  in 
his  behalf,  he  said:  "I  went  to  the  field  determined  not  to  take  that 
man's  life.     It  has  ever  been  against  my  principles." 

The  rites  of  the  Communion  were  administered  toward  evening, 
when  his  wife  and  children  were  present.  At  various  times  throughout 
the  night  he  became  delirious,  and  in  his  rational  moments  continually 
called  for  his  wife  and  children.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  12th,  while 
they  were  standing  at  the  bedside,  he  opened  his  eyes  —  recognizing 
them  by  a  smile  —  then,  closing  them  again,  articulated  feebly,  "God 

be  merciful  to ."     A  slight  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  his  face 

was  observed  —  then  a  short  gasp  for  breath,  and  the  heart  of  Hamil- 
ton was  stilled. 

His  tragic  death  produced  a  shock  throughout  the  community  not 
unlike  those  periods  in  our  recollection  when  Lincoln  and  Garfield  fell. 
The  newspapers  appeared  in  mourning,  and  public  indignation  toward 


T° 


MB      OF 


J^A 


MILTON 


U7 


Burr  was  so  pronouncctl  that  he  lied  from  the  city.  Upon  the  day  ajj- 
pointed  for  the  funeral,  citizens  draped  their  houses  in  mourning,  jnibHc 
offices  and  business  houses  were  closed,  and  the  people  realized  that 
they  had  lost,  next  to  Washington,  their  greatest  leader  and  Statesman 
and  purest  patriot.  When  the  procession,  numbering  many  thousands, 
arrived  at  Trinity  Church  yard,  his  friend  Morris  delivered,  from  the 
vestibule  of  the  church,  a  eulogy  upon  the  deceased.  The  body  was 
then  deposited  in  a  vault  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  enclosure,  near 
the  line  of  Rector  Street.  Above  it  is  the  white-marble  tomb  repre- 
sented by  the  engraving. 


TOMB  OF  HAMILTON. 


On  each  Memorial  Day  it  is  visited  by  a  company  of  men  in  military 
uniform  who  decorate  it  with  palms  and  flowers,  and  conduct  a  brief 
service  there.  This  organization  is  Alexander  Hamilton  Post,  No. 
182,  Department  of  New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


138  Reflections. 

A  tablet  in  Trinity  Church  contains  the  following  tribute  : 

This  tablet  does  not  profess  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  a  man  of  whom  the  Age 
has  produced  no  superior ;  nor  to  emblazon  worth,  eminently  conspicuous  in  every 
feature  of  his  Country's  greatness  ;  nor  to  anticipate  posterity  in  their  judgment  of  the 
loss  which  she  has  sustained  by  his  premature  death  ;  but  to  attest  in  the  simplicity  of 
grief,  the  veneration  and  anguish,  which  fill  the  hearts  of  the  members  of  the  New  York 
State  Society  of  Cincinnati,  on  every  recollection  of  their  illustrious  brother,  Major-General 
Alexander  Hamilton. 

It  may  be  asked,  Why  should  Hamilton  accept  a  challenge  after 
reiterating  his  conscientious  and  religious  convictions  against  the 
practice  of  duelling.  His  answer  is  most  concisely  stated  in  the  last 
paragraph  of  that  remarkable  paper  on  page  135.  The  duello  in 
those  days  was  the  universally-acknowledged  method  of  deciding  ques- 
tions of  honor.  He  possessed  the  courage  to  say  to  Burr,  I  denounce 
and  despise  your  code  ;  I  decline  to  countenance  or  to  submit  to  such 
methods  of  arbitration.  But  this  would  not  have  relieved  him  from 
the  liability  of  being  assassinated,  and  he  knew  the  world  would  then 
pronounce  him  a  sneak  or  a  coward  ;  and  he  felt  that  a  failure  or 
declination  to  conform  to  such  existing  prejudices  made  the  sacrifice  of 
his  opinions  imperative. 

Hamilton's  opposition  to  Burr  did  not  proceed  from  purely  social  or 
personal  reasons,  but  because  he  knew  something  of  Burr's  political 
designs  which  he  could  not,  in  honor,  then  reveal.  He  knew  that  Burr 
contemplated  the  dismemberment  of  the  States  ;  he  was  aware  that 
he  had  taken  incipient  steps  in  that  direction,  and  he  sincerely  be- 
lieved that  the  unity  of  the  States  depended  upon  the  defeat  of  his 
schemes  and  aspirations.  This  was  why  he  opposed  him,  as  subsequent 
letters  revealed.  Personally  they  were  not  enemies  —  politically  they 
were.  Upon  the  4th  of  July,  only  eight  days  before  the  duel, 
Hamilton  presided  at  the  celebration  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati^ 
at  which  Burr,  who  was  a  member,  was  present.  Hamilton  was  cheerful, 
and,  in  response  to  repeated  requests,  sang  one  of  his  favorite  songs. 
Burr  was  gloomy  and  dejected,  and  showed  at  that  time  the  first  per- 
sonal feeling  by  avoiding  Hamilton.  The  passions  of  hell  and  revenge 
were  burning  within  him,  and  he  finally  withdrew.  He  spent  the  next 
three  or  four  days  in  practicing  with  his  pistol  and  burning  letters  from 
the  scores  of  women  whom  he  had  compromised  and  cast  off;  while 
Hamilton  employed  his  time  in  attending  to  the  duties  of  his  clients 
and  making  the  best  provision  possible  for  the  wants  of  his  family. 

During  the  five  months  preceding  the  duel,  Burr  had  managed  to 
extort  and  borrow  about  sixteen  thousand  dollars  from  one  individual, 
but,  rake  and  spendthrift  as  he  was,  this  was  of  little  benefit  to  him, 


p 


O  N  C  LU  S  I  O  N  S  .  i;{<j 


and  in  June  he  was  penniless.  The  history  of  this  affair  shows  tiie  radi- 
cal differences  in  the  methods  and  characters  of  these  two  men.  It  was 
the  famous  case  of  Lc  Guen  :'s.  Gouverneur  &  Kemble,  which  was  ar- 
gued before  the  Court  of  Errors  in  I'ebruary,  icSo4.  Hamilton  and  lUirr 
were  associated  upon  one  side  and  Gouverneur  Morris  upon  the  other. 
The  latter  attempted  to  show  fraud  ai^ainst  Le  Guen.  Burr  replied, 
and  Hamilton  closed  the  debate,  making  one  of  those  grand,  exhaustive 
efforts  for  which  he  was  so  celebrated,  and  won  the  case,  involving 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Le  Guen  was  so  overjoyed  that  he 
visited  Hamilton,  at  his  home,  and  presented  him  eight  thousand  dollars 
for  his  services.  Hamilton  returned  seven  thousand,  and  told  him  that 
one  thousand  was  as  much  as  he  could  conscientiously  accept.  Le  Guen 
then  made  a  similar  tender  of  eight  thousand  to  Burr  who  accepted  it 
without  hesitation  and  whose  delicate  sense  of  "  honor  "(?)  prompted 
him  to  borrow  eight  thousand  dollars  more  of  Le  Guen,  which,  of 
course,  he  never  returned. 

The  author  has  thus  far  written  of  Hamilton  as  a  public  man.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  the  prescribed  limits  of  this  chapter  do  not  permit 
an  extended  review  of  his  civil  or  social  life,  where  his  generosity 
was  ever  conspicuous  and  his  active,  genial  nature  and  ready  wit  made 
him  a  universal  favorite. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  testimony,  it  may  be  asked,  what  were  his 
vices  ? — for  Hamilton  was  human,  and  no  man  is  spotless  or  absolutely 
unassailable.  His  infirmities,  when  measured  or  contrasted  with  his 
transcendant  virtues,  become  insignificant.  His  defects,  it  has  been 
stated  by  some  of  his  critics,  arose  not  from  the  weakness  but  from 
the  strength  of  his  passions,  which  sometimes  overmastered  his  judg- 
ment. That  he  was  impetuous  will  not  be  denied  —  else  he  would  not 
have  kept  the  British  army  at  bay  at  Princeton,  nor  performed  his  part 
in  routing  them  at  Trenton  ;  nor  would  he  have  gone  over  the  redoubts 
at  Yorktown.  That  he  was  persistent,  is  equally  apparent  from  his 
forensic  contests  with  Clinton,  and  his  single-handed  combats  with  the 
great  national  leaders  of  the  opposite  party.  But  it  may  be  said  of 
him,  in  verity,  that  no  man  has  ever  lived  who  has  stamped  his  individ- 
uality so  conspicuously,  effectively  and  ineffaceably  upon  the  institutions 
and  Government  of  our  Country.  His  motives  have  been  unjustly 
criticised,  and  his  acts  belittled.  His  few  mistakes  have  been  magni- 
fied, and  an  individual  instance  of  weakness  —  from  which  statesmen 
of  his  time  and  Presidents  of  later  periods  have  not  been  held  to  be 
exclusively  exempt —  is  an  unwelcome  theme  which  need  not  here  be 
discussed.  A  generous  public  has,  long  since,  condoned  the  offense 
and  the  mantle  of  charity  and  forgetfulness  should  obliterate  it. 


140  Tributes. 

The  occurrence  is  thus  alluded  to  by  Mr.  Lodge  :  "The  miserable 
Reynolds  affair  has  cast  a  shadow  upon  the  honor  of  James  Monroe 
and  its  wretched  details  have  found  a  place  in  one  of  the  biographies 
of  Jefferson.  No  one  can  desire  to  rake  over  the  ashes  of  this  miser- 
able scandal,  but  in  its  effect  it  showed  the  courage  of  Hamilton  in  a 
most  striking  manner.  Drawn  by  his  uncurbed  passion  into  a  low  in- 
trigue with  a  worthless  woman,  he  found  himself  threatened  with  a  black 
imputation  upon  his  official  integrity.  At  the  cost  of  bitter  grief  to  him- 
self, and  to  all  whom  he  most  loved,  he  published  a  pamphlet  in  which 
he  told  the  whole,  unpleasant  story.  The  manliness  of  the  act,  the 
self-inflicted  punishment,  and  the  high  sense  of  public  honor  thus  ex- 
hibited, silenced  even  his  opponents  ;  but  the  confession  was  one  which 
must  have  wrung  Hamilton  to  the  quick,  and  it  shows  an  amount  of 
nerve  and  determination  for  which  our  history  can  furnish  no  parallel." 

Among  the  many  thousand  tributes  to  the  character  of  Hamilton 
none,  perhaps,  is  more  comprehensive,  true  and  just  than  the  following, 
from  that  eminent  Jurist,  Ambrose  Spencer,  who  was  his  opponent  in 
many  a  legal  and  political  contest.  Said  he:  "Alexander  Hamilton  was 
the  greatest  man  this  country  has  ever  produced.  I  knew  him  well. 
I  was  in  situations  often  to  observe  and  study  him.  I  saw  him  at  the 
bar  and  at  home.  He  argued  cases  before  me  while  I  sat  as  judge 
upon  the  bench.  Webster  has  done  the  same.  In  power  of  reasoning, 
Hamilton  was  the  equal  of  Webster,  and  more  than  this  can  be  said  of 
no  man.  In  creative  power,  Hamilton  was  infinitely  Webster's  supe- 
rior  It  was  Hamilton,  more   than  any   other  man,  who 

thought  out  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  details  of 
the  government  of  the  Union  ;  and  out  of  the  chaos  that  existed  after 
the  Revolution,  raised  a  fabric  every  part  of  which  is  instinct  with  his 
thought.  I  can  truly  say  that  hundreds  of  politicians  and  statesmen  of 
the  day  get  both  the  web  and  woof  of  their  thoughts  from  Hamilton's 
brains.    He,  more  than  any  other  man,  did  the  thinking  of  the  time." 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Aaron  Burr,  at  the  time  of  the  duel, 
was  still  the  Vice-President,  and  that,  while  in  this  office,  he  was 
scheming  for  the  nomination  (which  he  received)  for  Governor  of  New 
York.  Also,  that  he  was  plotting  for  the  establishment  of  a  Northern 
Confederacy,  with  himself  as  dictator.  But  the  results  of  the  duel 
aroused  a  feeling  against  him  which  he  did  not  anticipate  and  which  was 
unusual  in  affairs  of  this  kind.  The  sentiment  of  the  North  revolted 
against  this  premeditated  murder,  and  the  people  determined  from  that 
time  that  the  practice  of  dueling  should  be  made  odious.  Burr,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  Bishop  Moore  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mason,  was  in- 
dicted for  murder  by  the   Grand  Jury  of  New  York  County,  but  the 


Bur  F^'s     Audacity.  ill 

crime  having  been  committed  in  New  Jersey  the  Courts  were  without 
jurisdiction.  He,  consequently,  fled  to  a  more  congenial  climate  —  to 
the  Southern  States,  where  courage  to  fight  was  still  regarded  as  one 
of  the  greatest  of  virtues;  where  he  was  feted  and  flattered  l)y  the  most 
bitter  partisans  of  the  Republican  party,  and  where  he  succeeded  in 
organizing  a  conspiracy  for  the  invasion  of  Mexico,  in  company  with 
Blennerhasset  and  some  others,  all  of  whom  were  subsequently  arrested 
and  tried  for  treason.  Burr's  legal  cunning  availed  him,  and  upon  the 
technical  pleas  of  "  No  overt  act"  all  were  released. 

In  the  winter  of  i8o5  he  came  up,  audaciously,  from  the  South  to 
Washington,  with  the  brand  of  a  plotter  upon  his  brow  and  the  stain 
of  murder  upon  his  garments,  and  presided  at  the  opening  of  the  Senate. 
Jefferson  gave  him  a  dinner  and  did  his  full  share  toward  making  a  hero 
of  him,  notwithstanding  he  had  previously  despised  him  and  disowned 
him,  politically.  But  he  had  laid  low  the  "  Colossus  of  the  Federal- 
ists," (as  Jefferson  called  Hamilton,)  and,  for  this,  he  was  entitled  to 
Jefferson's  most  distinguished  consideration.  This  notoriety  was  of 
little  consequence,  or,  rather,  of  short  duration  —  for  his  prestige  had 
long  since  gone.  Men  abhorred  him,  and  women  and  children  shunned 
him  and  pointed  him  out  as  a  murderer,  and  despoiler  of  virtue.  He 
lived  in  concealment  for  the  next  four  or  five  years  —  a  portion  of  the 
time  in  New  York ;  but  shunned  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  likewise 
indicted  for  murder ;  though  through  the  influence  of  party  friends  the 
charge  was  not  pressed,  or  he  might  have  become  a  proper  subject  for 
"Jersey  justice."  In  June,  1808,  he  sneaked  away  from  America  under 
an  assumed  name  and  went  to  France,  where  he  proposed  a  plot,  to  the 
Napoleonic  Government,  for  the  capture  of  Mexico,  which  was  respect- 
fully declined.  He  then  proceeded  to  England  and  submitted  a  similar 
scheme,  when  the  English  Government  notified  him  that  his  presence 
in  that  country  was  embarrassing  and  offensive,  and  he  was  directed  to 
leave.  He  had  no  funds  to  pay  his  passage  out  of  the  country  and 
the  authorities  gladly  provided  him  a  transfer  to  Sweden.  From  there 
he  wandered  to  Denmark  and  Germany,  living  upon  charity,  and  ulti- 
mately worked  his  way  back  to  Paris.  Here  he  sought  an  interview 
with  the  Emperor,  in  the  hope  of  finally  being  able  to  interest  him  in 
the  Mexican  scheme  ;  but,  after  remaining  four  or  five  months,  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  the  project,  the  Emperor  refusing  to  see  him. 
In  despair  he  called  at  the  residence  of  Talleyrand,  who  was  always  a 
devoted  friend  of  Hamilton,  and  who,  when  last  in  America,  visited 
"  The  Grange  "  to  bid  Hamilton  adieu,  when  the  latter  took  from  the 
mantel  a  miniature  portrait  of  himself  and  presented  it  to  him.  Talley- 
rand had  placed  this  over  the  door  in  the  vestibule  of  his  residence, 


142  Bure^'sWander^ings. 

and  when  Burr's  card  was  presented  Talleyrand  sent  word  by  the  mes- 
senger that  Hamilton  was  his  idol,  but  that  if  Burr  chose  to  enter,  he 
could  do  so.     Burr  looked  up  at  the  portrait  and  walked  away. 

Like  his  elder  brother,  Cain,  Burr  had  long  been  a  wanderer  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth  and  knew  not  where  to  go  next.  France  regarded 
him  as  a  dangerous  person,  and  for  nearly  a  year  he  was  under  the  sur- 
veillance of  the  police  of  Paris.  Twice  he  had  attempted  to  come  to 
America,  but  passport  in  both  instances  was  refused  him.  At  last  he 
escaped  upon  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  subsequently  captured  by  the 
British,  and.  after  wandering  about  England  for  a  time,  he  took  passage 
upon  another  vessel,  reaching  our  shores  again  in  1812. 

A  diary  which  he  kept  while  abroad  is  still  in  existence.  It  betrays- 
his  wretched  feelings,  his  loneliness,  his  poverty  and  disappointments  ; 
showing  that  he  was  without  proper  food  or  clothing  much  of  the  time  ;. 
that  he  lived  upon  rice,  which  he  was  compelled  to  cook  himself,  and 
was  obliged,  many  times,  to  lie  in  bed  to  keep  warm,  having  no  means 
with  which  to  provide  fuel.  The  whole  is  a  sorrowful  wail  —  in  sub- 
stance not  unlike  that  of  his  earlier  predecessor  :  "  My  punishment  is 
greater  than  I  can  bear !  " 

Upon  his  arrival  he  again  relapsed  into  obscurity,  but,  summoning 
courage,  once  more  ventured  upon  the  streets.  He  seldom  looked  up, 
and  appeared  to  passers-by  to  be  a  broken-down  old  man.  He 
possessed  sufficient  vitality  to  recuperate,  and  afterward  opened  a 
small  office,  for  the  practice  of  law,  in  a  dingy  old  building  in  Reade 
Street,  which  is  yet  standing.  He  had  but  few  cases  in  court,  and  most 
of  his  business  was  confined  to  the  office. 

In  stature  he  was  but  slightly  taller  than  Hamilton.  Mr.  Barnett, 
who  is  referred  to  in  the  previous  pages,  informs  the  writer  that  he 
recollects  him  well.  He  describes  him  as  "  a  little  old  man  who  was 
much  bent  over  ;  who  always  held  his  head  down  as  he  walked,  and 
presented  generally  a  repulsive  appearance." 

Upon  one  occasion  he  walked  into  the  City  Library,  where  John 
C.  Hamilton,  the  son  and  biographer  of  his  father,  was  sitting,  perusing 
a  book.  Burr  did  not  know  him,  but  addressed  him  in  an  undertone, 
asking  if  he  would  permit  him  to  look  at  the  book  for  a  moment. 
Hamilton  cast  a  withering  glance  at  him,  saying:  "My  name  is 
Hamilton  !  "  Burr,  startled  at  the  response,  turned  away  and  hastily 
left  the  building. 

Burr  continued  to  practice  law,  making  but  a  precarious  living, 
until  his  infirmities  of  mind  and  body  became  so  great  that  he  finally 
gave  up  his  office  and  wandered  about  among  the  houses  of  the  citi- 
zens who  knew  him  in  his  earlier  days,  and  who  contributed  to  his  sup- 


M.aj.-Gen.     Alexander     Hamilton.  ^^.^ 

port  until  he  died  on  Staten  Island,  September  14,  1836.  Thus  passed 
from  the  stage  of  life  one  of  the  brightest,  shrewdest,  boldest,  mean- 
est of  mankind. 


For  many  of  the  facts  embraced  in  the  foregoing  sketch  of 
Hamilton  the  writer  is  indebted  chiefly  to  the  members  of  the  family 
who  have  descended  from 
the  great  Statesman,  from 
whom  I  have  received  many 
original  manuscripts  as  well 
as  published  reports  and 
documents  in  their  pos- 
session. I  am  primarily 
obligated  to  Major-General 
Alexander  Hamilton,  of 
Tarrytown- on -Hudson,  a 
son  of  John  C.  Hamilton 
to  whom  Hamilton  refers 
in  his  letter  to  his  wife 
(page  119)  as  "Dear  John." 
General  Hamilton,  as  has 
been  stated,  is  the  eldest 
living  grandson  ;  is  a  well- 
preserved,  genial  and  intel- 
ligent gentleman,  who  is 
unusually  active  for  one  of 
his  years  and  is  still  able  to  read  and  write  without  the  use  of  spectacles. 
He  is  the  author  of  the  dramas  "  Cromwell,"  "  A'Becket "  and  "  Canon- 
icus,"  and  several  poems,  recently  published  for  the  benefit  of  the 
soldiers'-monument  fund  at  Tarrytown,  and  favorably  noticed  by  the 
press.  He  has  kindly  furnished,  upon  request,  a  portrait  from  which  this 
engraving  is  made  and  also  a  brief  sketch  of  himself  as  follows  : 


MAJ.-GEN'L  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 


Mr.  F.  S.  Bartram, 

Dear  Sir  and  Comrade:  As  you  urgently  request,  I  will  here  state  that  I  was 
born  November  15th,  18 15,  and  in  early  childhood  placed  in  a  Spanish  family  in  New 
York  City,  where  I  acquired  their  language  at  eight  years  of  age.  A  few  years  later,  I 
went  to  live  with  a  French  family,  studying  diligently  until  I  became  familiar  with  the 
French  language.  Then  I  attended  lectures  in  Columbia  College  until  eighteen  years 
old.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  my  parents  went  to  the  South,  leaving  the  care  of  their 
estate  to  me.     When  a  boy,  I  formed  a  strong  desire  to  enter  military  life  and  joined  a 


144  Jescendants. 


p 


regiment  of  heavy  artillery  in  New  York,  commanded  by  Col.  Smith,  then  Aide  to  Gen'l 
Geo.  P.  Morris,  to  whose  newspaper  pages,  "The  Mirror  and  Home  Journal,"  I  frequently 
contributed.  Through  the  urgent  efforts  of  ]\Iaj. -Gen'l  Alexander  RIcComb  I  went  to 
West  Point  in  the  spring  of  1S40,  and  studied  under  Capt.  Kingsley,  passed  an  examina- 
tion under  Prof -Lieut.  Henry  W.  Halleck,  who  was  afterward  Gen'l  in  Chief  of  our  army. 
No  vacancies  occurring,  I  remained  attached  to  my  regiment  in  New  York.-  This  regi- 
ment afterward  became  the  famous  ' '  New  York  Seventh. "  Upon  the  breaking  out  of 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  I  was  actively  engaged  in  the  organization  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission. Subsequently  was  tendered  the  position  of  Vol.  A.D.C.  upon  the  staff  of  Maj.- 
Gen'l  Charles  W.  Sandford,  who  was  actively  employed  in  organizing  and  forwarding 
troops  to  the  front.  In  May,  1861,  I  reported  to  Gen'l  in  Chief,  Lieut. -Gen'l  Scott,  and 
was  assigned  by  him  to  duty  at  Arlington  House,  Va.,  with  the  8th  N.  Y.  Infantry,  I\Iay  25. 
I  M'as  wounded  June  21st,  of  that  year,  by  the  enemy,  while  on  inspection  duty,  and 
received  my  Commission  of  Aide-de-Camp  on  the  same  day.  Went  with  General 
Sandford  to  Shenandoah,  in  July.  Was  a  bearer  of  orders,  after  my  partial  recovery, 
from  and  to  Gen'ls  Scott  and  Sandford  —  also  from  Sec'y  Seward  to  the  latter,  and  in 
August,  '61,  was  sent  by  Pres't  Lincoln  to  Fortress  Monroe,  with  request  to  obtain  facts 
concerning  the  defeat  at  Big  Bethel.  August  11,  was  commissioned  by  Gov.  ]Morgan 
with  rank  of  Colonel,  and  ordered  to  recruit  a  brigade  of  Volunteers  in  New  York  City, 
by  the  President's  request.  I  recruited  the  ist  Artillery  in  forty-five  days  ;  the  45th  In- 
fantry in  fifty-nine  days;  the  5  2d  Infantry  in  seventy-one  days.  Was  appointed  Brig. -Gen'l 
of  Volunteers  by  the  President,  by  Lieut. -Gen'l  Scott's  request,  October  20th,  1861,  and 
reported  to  Maj. -Gen'l  McClellan,  who  ordered  me  to  a  command  in  the  Regular  Artillery. 
In  November,  was  assigned  by  Pres't  Lincoln  to  special  service.  Was  appointed  Maj.- 
General,  at  Falmouth,  Va.,bythe  President,  in  May,  1863,  having  served  continually 
until  that  period,  and  was  thereafter  in  special  service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Was 
one  of  the  Guard  of  Honor  to  Lincoln's  remains,  and  Chief  Aide  upon  the  staff  of 
IMaj. -Gen'l  Dix,  who  was  then  commanding  Department  of  the  East  and  the.  Grand 
IMarshal  in  New  York.  Afterward  received  the  thanks  from  the  State  and  General 
Government  for  my  services.  Am  a  Past  Commander  of  Post  182,  Department  of  N.  Y., 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  I  have  devoted  much  of  my  time  in  later  years  to  church 
and  literary  work.      I  assisted  my  father  in   most  of  his  writing  and  publications. 

Yours  in  F.,  C.  &  L. , 
Tarrytown,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  21,  1887.  Alexander  Hamilton. 

General  Hamilton  has  three  brothers  yet  living,  viz.:  Major-General 
Schuyler  Hamilton,  born  in  1822,  was  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1842 
and  became  distinguished  in  the  Mexican  war,  (under  General  Taylor 
and  General  Scott,)  where  he  was  severely  wounded.  On  the  march 
from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico  he  was  attacked  while  temporarily  away  from 
the  command,  inspecting  some  founderies,  by  three  Mexican  guerrillas, 
whom  he  killed  successively  with  his  pistol  and  sabre,  being  severely 
wounded,  and  was  rescued  by  Captain,  afterward  Major-General,  W.  S. 
Hancock.  In  the  war  of  1861  he  was  the  Military  Secretary  of  General 
Scott,  and  after  Scott's  retirement  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of 
Volunteers.  He  was  stationed  at  St.  Louis,  under  Halleck,  for  some 
time,  and  was  afterward  with  Rosecrans.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  battle  of  Shiloh,  and  retired  soon  after  with  the  rank  of  Major- 
General. 


p 


E  S  C  E  N  D  A  N  T  S  .  1  |,-, 


The  third  younger  son,  Charles  A.  I  lamilton,  born  1S26,  a  prom- 
inent lawyer  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  entered  the  war  in  June,  1861,  was 
Major  of  the  7th  Wisconsin  Regiment  and  was  in  continuous  service 
until  wounded  at  Gaines'  Mills,  being  shot  through  both  legs.  Was 
promoted,  upon  his  recovery,  and  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg, under  Burnside.  Upon  his  return  to  Wisconsin  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  State. 

The  fourth  is  William  G.  Hamilton,  born  1832,  a  gentleman  of  fine, 
scholarly  attainments,  and  by  profession  a  civil  engineer ;  he  is  now 
residinof  in  New  York. 

One  of  the  sisters  married  Major-General  Halleck,and  died  in  1884. 
Another  married  Judge  Charles  A.  Peabody.  Three  sisters  are  still 
living  in  New  York,  where  they  have  always  been  prominent  in  acts 
of  generosity  and  deeds  of  private  and  public  charity. 


The  names  of  the  children  of  the  great  Statesman  were  as  follows  : 

Philip,  the  eldest,  it  has  already  been  stated  was  killed  in  a  duel. 

The  next,  Alexander,  a  man  of  fine  abilities,  was  a  volunteer  upon 
the  staff  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  a  Colonel  in  the  war  of  1 8 1 2. 

James  Alexander  was  also  distinguished  for  literary  attainments  ; 
was  a  Colonel  in  the  war  of  181 2  ;  was,  for  a  time,  acting  Secretary-of- 
State,  under  Jackson,  and,  for  some  years,  held  the  position  of  District- 
Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 

John  Church  Hamilton,  who  was  the  father  of  the  present  family, 
(referred  to  upon  pages  144-5,)  died  about  five  years  ago. 

William,  the  fifth  son,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  City  of  Galena,  Illinois.  He  rendered  valuable  services 
in  the  "  Black  Hawk  "  war,  and  died  in  California. 

There  was  also  another  son,  Philip,  born  a  few  years  after  the 
death  of  the  eldest. 

A  daughter,  Angelica,  lived  to  attain  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
She  never  married,  and  is  buried  at  Tarrytown. 

Eliza,  the  youngest,  was  married  and  died  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

Their  mother  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  talents,  of  resplendent 
virtues,  and  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  companionship  of  her  distin- 
guished husband,  whom  she  outlived  for  more  than  fifty  years.  She  died 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  at  the  age  of  ninty-seven;  her  remains  are  depos- 
ited beside  those  of  her  husband.  The  tablet  contains  this  inscription : 
"Eliza,  daughter  of  Philip  Schuyler;  widow  of  Alexander  Hamilton;  born 
at  Albany,  Aug.  9.  1757  ;  died  at  Washington,  Nov.  9,  i854  ;  interred 


146  Lettep^    from     M.RS.    Wamilton. 

here."  The  hitherto -unpubHshed  letter  of  which  a  fac-simile  is  here 
produced,  was  written  by  her  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her  age. 
It  is  a  remarkable  specimen  of  epistolary  composition,  exhibiting 
a  steadiness  of  nerve,  a  uniformity  of  style  and  clearness  of  expression, 
which  are  exceedingly  rare  in  persons  at  that  period  of  life.  This  is 
but  one  of  a  series,  of  similar  character,  showing  the  bent  and  scope  of 
her  then  vigorous  mind,  and  demonstrating  the  intensity  of  a  woman's 
solicitude  for  public  affairs,  which  were  the  result  of  her  earlier  associa- 
tions and  patriotic  impulses,  and  which  were  perpetuated  by  memories, 
the  tenderness  and  sacredness  of  which  time  could  not  diminish,  nor 
age  nor  sorrows  wither,  nor  efface. 


CriA.PTER    VI. 

o — n — o 

1 J  a  I  Q  a  i")        laic. 


• — •^■^j:^"^ — * 

^1 P  H  E  subject  of  this  sketch  was  l^orn  in  Coventry,  Conn.,  June  6, 
s^^  1/55.  He  was  of  British  ancestry,  being  the  sixth  child  of 
^<^^j!$  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Hale.  The  father  was  the  descendant  of 
the  noted  family  of  that  name  in  Kent,  England.  Nathan  was  reared 
under  the  influences  of  the  strictest  sect  of  Puritans  and  acquired  a 
firmness  of  purpose  and  a  moral  character  that  were  unassailable.  }{e 
was  feeble  in  childhood,  but  developed  into  a  robust  boy  at  fifteen,  when 
he  was  sent  to  Yale  College  to  complete  his  education  in  the  academic 
department  of  that  institution. 

He  is  reported  to  have  been  remarkably  handsome  in  features,  pos- 
sessing a  sweet,  cheerful  disposition  ;  was  quiet  in  demeanor  ;  was  a 
superior  scholar  and  an  especial  favorite  with  the  ladies  of  New  Haven, 
in  whose  society  he  passed  many  delightful  leisure  hours.  Dr.  Eneas 
Munson,  a  former  and  prominent  resident  of  New  Haven,  who  knew 
him  intimately,  young  Hale  being  a  frequent  visitor  at  his  residence,  thus 
writes  of  him  :  "  He  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  well  proportioned,  and  in 
figure  and  deportment  the  most  manly  man  I  ever  met.  He  was 
broad-chested  and  upright  in  carriage  ;  his  muscles  were  firm,  and  his 
address  extraordinarily  pleasing.  His  eyes  were  blue,  his  hair  of  a 
light  brown,  and  his  complexion  roseate.  He  was  generous  and  always 
ready  to  lend  a  hand  to  one  in  distress,  either  brute  or  human." 

Dr.  Jared  Sparks  writes  of  him  :  "  Possessing  genius,  taste  and 
order,  he  became  distinguished  as  a  scholar,  and,  endowed  in  an  emi- 
nent degree  with  those  graces  and  gifts  of  nature  which  add  a  charm 
to  youthful  excellence,  he  gained  universal  esteem  and  confidence.  To 
high  moral  worth  and  irreproachable  habits  were  joined  gentleness  of 
manner,  an  ingenuous  disposition  and  vigor  of  understanding.  No 
young  man  of  his  years  put  forth  fairer  promises  of  future  usefulness 

and  celebrity." 

147 


148 


School     Days 


At  Yale  he  was  one  of  the  most  brilHant  of  debaters,  and  graduated 
in  September,  1773,  with  high  honors,  in  a  class  composed  of  sixty 
members.  The  Hon.  James  Hillhouse,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
New  Haven,  who  was  one  of  his  classmates,  used  to  relate  many  inci- 
dents of  him  and  said  he  "was  always  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  thorough  scholars  in  the  college." 

While  pursuing  his  studies  at  Yale  he  became  engaged  to  a  Miss 
Alice  Adams,  who  was  born  at  Canterbury  and  was  a  frequent  visitor 
at  New  Haven.  The  letters  which  he  wrote  her,  during  the  period  of 
their  engagement,  were  preserved  among  the  most-cherished  relics 
of  her  later  years.  Also  a  portrait — the  only  one  that  was  ever  made 
of  him  —  was  kept  by  her  until  her  death,  when  it  suddenly  disappeared, 
and  no  trace  of  it  has  since  been  discovered.  Some  years  after  his 
death  Miss  Adams  married  a  Mr.  Ripley  and  was  left  a  widow  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  with  one  child.  The  child,  soon  after,  died,  when 
she  married  Wm.  Lawrence,  Esq.,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  died  in  that 
city,  in  1845,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  But  the  widow  never  forgot 
her  first  love,  and  in  the  delirium  of  her  dying  moments  called  upon 
her  attendants  to  "write  just  one  letter  to  Nathan." 

Hale's  service  in  the  army  was  short,  but  his  record  and  fame  are 
eternal.  He  joined  a  military  company  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  ;  after- 
ward obtained  permission  to  recruit  a  company  at  New  London,  when 
he  accepted  the  position  of  First  Lieutenant,  and,  with  his  company, 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Boston.  Subsequently  he  was  commissioned 
a  Captain  in  the  19th  Connecticut  Regiment  and  transferred  to  the 
Department  of  New  York.  In  the  gloomy  years  of  '75  and  '76  he 
was  active  and  vigilant,  and  rendered  gallant  services  with  his  regi- 
ment ;  but  the  various  terms  of  enlistment  of  the  men  were  expiring 
and  he  found  it  difficult,  in  those  dispiriting  days,  to  keep  them  to- 
gether. He  offered  them  all  his  pay  as  an  inducement  to  remain,  and 
succeeded  in  retaining  about  one-half  of  the  original  number. 

Among  his  many  exploits  was  the  capture  of  a  British  schooner 
laden  with  provisions,  which  was  then  lying  in  the  East  River  under 
the  protection  of  the  British  man-of-war  "  Asia,"  a  sixty-four-gun  ship, 
in  command  of  Captain  Vandeput.  Hale,  with  his  command,  brought 
the  schooner  into  Coenties  Slip  and  secured  the  whole  cargo. 

The  "Asia"  was  one  of  the  most-powerful  ships  of  war  in  the 
British  Navy,  and  had  been  sent  from  Boston  to  protect  the  British 
interests  here.  She  was  the  refutre  of  Governor  C.  Colden  at  one 
time  during  the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  attempted  distribution  of 
the  Stamps  (which  has  been  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter).  The 
Liberty  Boys  manifested  a  particular  dislike  to  this  representative  of 


F 


X  P  LO  ITS.  149 


Rritish  insolence,  it  being  the  same  ship  that  had  shelled  the  city  upon 
one  or  two  previous  occasions.  They  lost  no  opportunity  to  attack  it, 
antl  annoyed  the  officers  of  the  ship  by  planting  cannon  in  the  bushes 
upon  the  Jersey  and  Long  Island  shores,  and  which  were  often  served 
with  good  effect.  As  a  consequence,  the  shi[)  was  frequently  obliged 
to  change  her  anchorage. 

Colonel  Hale  participated  in  several  of  these  raids  upon  the  British 
pest,  as  had  several  others  at  an  earlier  period  of  the  war,  and  his  con- 
spicuous heroism  emblazons  the  pages  of  our  City's  history. 

One  of  the  most- active  members  of  the  "Liberty"  organization 
was  Sergeant  Michael  Smith,  whose  exploits  are  worthy  of  record. 
He  was  born  in  Beaver  Street,  May  3,  i/So,  of  Dutch  parents,  and  died 
in  Grand  Street,  April  24,  1846.  He  was  in  the  Battle  of  Golden  Hill 
in  1770  and  captured  the  first  trophy  in  that  engagement,  as  appears 
from  a  paper  read  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society  on  May  3, 
1859.  The  following  account  of  him  is  found  among  the  records  of 
the  Department  of  the  Interior,  (Pension  Office,)  at  Washington: 

"In  April,  1775,  Michael  Smith  joined  a  company  of  Volunteers 
commanded  by  Captain  Theophilus  Beekman,  in  the  regiment  of  Colonel 
John  Lashers.  He  was  appointed  a  Sergeant  in  March,  1776.  This 
regiment  then  volunteered  in  the  Continental  Army,  when  Smith  was 
appointed  Orderly  Sergeant.  As  the  British  fleet  appeared  at  the  Nar- 
rows, in  New  York  Harbor,  a  detachment  of  twenty-four  men,  of 
whom  he  was  one,  were  ordered,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Ralph  Thurman,  to  proceed  with  a  six-pound  field-piece  to  the  Jersey 
shore  to  protect  the  inhabitants  from  the  incursions  of  the  enemy. 
They  were  stationed  at  Smith's  Ferry,  on  Bergen  Point.  After  scout- 
ing along  the  coast,  with  the  field-piece  in  their  boat,  they  discovered 
an  armed  square-rigged  British  vessel,  full  of  men,  approaching  under 
a  press  of  sail.  As  soon  as  possible  their  boat  was  run  ashore,  and 
Lieutenant  Thurman,  with  all  his  men,  except  Smith  and  three  others, 
ran  for  safety  to  their  headquarters.  Smith,  being  left  in  command, 
directed  the  three  men  to  assist  him  in  getting  the  field-piece  and  am- 
munition out  of  the  boat  to  enable  them  to  repel  the  attack.  In  the 
meantime,  the  enemy  were  within  hailing  distance  and  opened  fire 
upon  them,  which  was  returned  with  round  shot ;  but,  producing  no 
effect,  they  loaded  it  with  grape  shot,  and  as  the  enemy's  vessel  came 
to  anchorage  it  swung  around  in  such  position  that  when  the  field-piece 
was  next  discharged  it  raked  the  vessel  from  stem  to  stern,  causing 
the  officers  to  haul  it  off  out  of  ranore.  When  the  vessel  was  out  of 
sight  Lieutenant  Thurman  and  party  returned,  and  the  six-pounder  was 
dragged  to  a  place  of  safety  some  three  miles  distant.     The  next  morn- 


150 


S  E  R^G  EANT       SmITH. 


ing  Sergeant  Smith,  Avith  his  three  men,  repaired  to  the  place  of  action 
for  the  purpose  of  recovering  the  boat,  and  found  two  British  tenders 
lying  near  by.  They  then  saw  three  British  soldiers,  and,  hailing  them, 
ascertained  that  they  were  deserters  from  the  detachment  sent  from  the 
vessel  the  day  previous  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  off  Thurman's  re- 
treat, and  stated  that  the  last  discharge  of  the  field-piece  killed  the 
Captain  of  the  vessel,  with  six  others,  and  wounded  nine  men.  The 
Americans  returned  to  New  York,  via  Paulus  Hook,  where  they  found 
the  news  of  the  victory  had  preceded  them,  occasioning  much  joy. 
Lieutenant  Thurman  immediately  resigned,  and  Congress  sent  Smith  a 
commission  as  Captain.  He  was  in  the  battle  on  Long  Island,  August 
27,  1776,  and  retreated  with  the  army  to  Harlem  Heights,  where  he 
was  in  another  engagement ;  thence  to  King's  Bridge  and  White  Plains, 
where  he  participated  in  two  battles." 

Several  of  his  descendants  are  now  residents  of  this  city,  one  of 
whom  is,  Thomas  W.  Smith,  at  the  Fifth  National  Bank,  to  whom  the 
writer  is  indebted  for  much  valuable  and  authentic  information. 

Sergeant  Smith,  with  Nathan  Hale,  John  Garret,  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton, John  Lamb,  and  others  of  his  company,  formed  the  party  that 
volunteered  to  remove  the  cannon  from  the  Battery  on  the  night  of  the 
23d  of  August,  an  interesting  account  of  which  is  found  in  Mary  L. 
Booth's  "History  of  New  York,"  a  valuable  work  published  by  Messrs. 
E.  P.  Button  &  Co.,  of  this  city.     It  is  as  follows  : 

"The  city  now  presented  a  curious  spectacle,  as  the  seat  of  two 
governments,  each  issuing  its  own  edicts  and  denouncing  those  of  the 
other  as  illegal  authority.  It  was  not  long  before  the  two  powers  came 
into  collision.  Regarding  the  guns  on  the  Battery  as  dangerous  to  the 
patriot  interest,  and  needing  them  for  the  fortifications  of  the  posts  in 
the  HiMilands,  the  Provisional  Cong-ress  directed  their  removal,  and  on 
the  night  of  the  23d  of  August,  Captain  Lamb,  with  a  party  of  Liberty 
Boys  and  a  number  of  citizens  —  among  whom  was  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton— proceeded  to  execute  the  order;  a  part  of  the  company  remaining 
under  arms  while  the  rest  were  employed  in  removing  the  cannon. 
While  thus  engaged  a  musket  was  discharged  from  the  barge  of  the 
'Asia,'  which  had  been  stationed  near  the  shore  to  reconnoiter.  The 
fire  was  returned  by  Lamb  and  his  company,  killing  one  of  the  crew 
and  wounding  several  others,  upon  which,  the  barge  at  once  made  her 
way  to  the  ship.  No  sooner  had  she  reached  it  than  a  heavy  cannonad- 
ing was  opened  on  the  town,  riddling  the  houses  near  the  Battery  and 
severely  wounding  three  of  her  citizens.  The  drums  beat  to  arms  ;  a 
rumor  was  spread  that  the  British  intended  to  destroy  the  city,  and 
many  of  the  people  fied  with  their  wives  and  children,  in  apprehension 


fA 


ESSAGE      FROM 


If^ 


S  H  I  N  G  T  O  N  . 


If,  I 


of  tlic  impciulini^  catastrophe.  The  inircpiil  Lilxrl)'  lioys  iiicainvlu](_; 
coolly  continued  their  task  in  i\w.  face  of  the  enemy's  hre  ;  ncjrdid  they 
quit  the  r>attery  until  the  twenty-one  pieces  had  Ijeen  carricil  a\\a\-  in 
safety.  The  ne.\t  day,  Captain  Vandeput,  the  Commander  of  the 
'  Asia,'  dispatched  a  letter  to  the  Mayor,  complaining  of  the  murder 
of  one  of  his  men  and  demanding  immediate  satisfaction.  A  corre- 
spondence of  mutual  recrimination,  resulting  in  nothing,  ensued,  and  on 
the  29th  of  August  the  Provisional  Congress  issued  an  order  declaring 
that  as  the  'Asia'  had  seen  fit  to  cannonade  the  city  she  must  hence- 
forth cease  to  receive  supplies  from  it  and  must  obtain  them  instead  by 
the  Avay  of  Governor's  Island.  This  was  not  the  first  nor  last  time  that 
an  interchange  of  shots  took  place  between  the  ship  of  war  and  the 
citizens  and  soldiers." 


THE  OLD  THEATRE  IN  JOHN  STREET. 

About  the  5th  of  September,  Hale  was  prostrated  with  illness, 
caused  by  past  exposures  and  one  evening,  when  convalescent, 
attended  the  old  John  Street  Theatre  in  citizen's  dress,  accompanied 
by  several  ladies.  The  title  of  the  play  was  "The  American  Volun- 
teer." While  there,  Colonel  Knowlton,  of  Washington's  staff,  observed 
him,  and  informed  him  that  the  General  ( Washington )  desired  to  con- 
fer with  him  at  his  earliest  leisure. 

This  was  one  of  the  darkest  periods  at  the  outset  of  the  campaign. 
The  greater  portion  of  Lord  Howe's  army  were  encamped  on  Long 
Island  and  consisted  of  about  thirty  thousand  men,  infantry  and  artillery. 


152  TnTE  REVIEW      \A/'ITH      WASHINGTON. 

They  were  supported,  or  protected,  by  a  naval  fleet  of  twelve  ships  of 
war,  which  was  a  powerful  force  in  those  times.  The  little  American 
army,  consisting  of  less  than  half  the  number  of  their  opponents,  were 
intrenched  upon  Harlem  Heights.  One  quarter  of  the  force  were  upon 
the  sick  list,  and  the  ranks  of  the  remainder  were  being  depleted  by  the 
expiration  of  their  terms  of  service  and  by  desertions.  They  were 
suffering  for  the  lack  of  necessary  supplies,  and  dissatisfaction  from 
other  causes  made  Washington's  situation  perilous  in  the  extreme.  It 
was  evident  that  Howe  was  preparing  for  some  movement  that  might 
result  in  crushing  our  forces  and  winding  up  the  war  summarily,  and 
Washington  called  a  council  of  war  to  discuss  the  situation.  It  was 
deemed  necessary  to  obtain  some  definite  information  of  the  plans, 
or  contemplated  movements,  of  the  enemy,  and  for  this  purpose  they 
resolved  to  select  one  or  more  discreet  and  capable  men  who  could 
penetrate  the  British  lines  and  accomplish  this  object. 

Colonel  Hale  called  upon  Washington,  who  communicated  to  him 
the  nature  of  the  business  and  asked  him  if  he  could  suggest  a  proper 
person  for  the  duty.  Hale  replied  :  "  I  will  go  myself,  with  your  per- 
mission." Washington  warned  him  of  the  dangers  that  a  military 
officer  would  incur,  upon  so  delicate  a  mission,  and  suggested  that  some 
civilian  in  whom  confidence  could  be  reposed  should  be  selected.  Hale 
replied  that  his  opportunities,  his  mechanical  and  scientific  knowledge, 
and  other  advantages,  would  better  qualify  him  for  the  task,  and 
urged  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  go.  This  privilege  was  accorded 
him,  and  the  result  is  well  known.  He  proceeded  to  Norwalk  and 
crossed  in  an  open  boat,  at  night,  to  Huntington  Cove,  on  Long  Island. 
He  assumed  the  occupation  of  a  school-teacher  and,  unsuspected,  was 
permitted  to  pass  among  the  British  troops,  where  he  obtained  all 
the  information  possible.  He  made  plans,  or  drawings,  of  the  fortifi- 
cations, with  minute  descriptions  ;  making  all  notes  in  Latin.  Placing 
the  papers  between  the  soles  of  his  shoes  he  commenced  preparations 
to  return  by  the  same  route.  While  stepping  into  the  boat,  disguised 
as  a  fisherman,  he  was  recognized  by  two  of  the  British  soldiers  and 
asked  if  he  was  not  an  American  officer?  He  was  then  arrested  and 
taken  to  the  headquarters  of  Lord  Howe,  who  could  not  restrain  his 
rage  at  the  discovery  of  the  papers  Hale  had  concealed,  and,  without 
granting  him  the  formality  of  a  trial,  ordered  him  to  be  hanged  at 
daylight  on  the  next  morning.  He  was  taken  to  the  farmhouse  of 
Colonel  Rutger,  upon  the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  and  hanged,  upon 
the  limb  of  an  apple  tree  in  the  orchard,  near  the  house,  on  Sep- 
tember 22,  1776.  At  this  time  a  conflagration  was  raging  that 
destroyed  Trinity  Church  and  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire  city. 


^ 


X  E  C  UTI  ON  . 


153 


The  place  of  IIaU;'s  execution  has  become  a  matter  of  some  dis- 
I)ute,  but  the  best  evidence  attainable  fixes  the  Rutger  grounds  as  the 
locality.  It  was  on  a  beautiful  Sunday  morning,  and  while  awaiting 
execution  he  asked  for  a  I^ible,  which  was  refused.  He  begged  that 
he  might  write  a  few  lines  to  his  mother  and  sister,  and  to  Miss 
Adams,  to  whom  he  was  betrothed.  The  guard  provided  him  with 
paper  and  pencil,  when  he  wrote  a  few  words,  urging  them  to  be  of 
good  cheer,  and  adding,  further:  "I  wished  to  be  useful;  and  every 
kind  of  service  necessary  to  the  public  good  becomes  honorable  by 
being  necessary.  If  the  exigencies  of  my  Country  demand  a  peculiar 
service,  its  claims  to  the  performers  of  that  service  are  imperious." 


COLONEL  RUTGER'S  FARM-HOUSE. 

As  he  ascended  the  ladder  he  turned  to  his  executioners  and  said  : 
"  I  only  regret  that  I  have  but  one  life  to  lose  for  my  Country." 

The  brutal  Marshal  Cunningham,  w^ho  was  the  chief  of  his  execu- . 
tioners,  upon  reading  the  letters  destroyed  them,  and  exclaimed,  with 
an  oath  :  "The  rebels  shall  never  know  they  had  a  man  who  could  die 
so  bravely." 

During  the  past  year  a  massive  statue  has  been  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Hale  in  the  City  of  Hartford,  the  capital  of  his  native  State. 
The  dedicatory  address  was  delivered  by  INIr.  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
and  closed  with  these  words  : 

"  If  the  soul  of  Nathan  Hale,  immortal  in  youth,  in  the  air  of  Heaven, 
can  behold  to-day  this  scene  —  as  doubtless  it  can  —  in  the  midst  of  a 
State  whose  prosperity  the  young  colonist  could  not  have  imagined  in 
"his  wildest  dreams  for  his  Country,  he  must  feel  anew  the  truth  that 
there  is  nothingf  too  sacred  for  a  man  to  Sfive  for  his  native  land." 


154  A     PoET's    Tr^ibute. 

In  1853,  at  the  centennial  meeting  of  the  Linonian  Society  of  Yale 
(of  which  Hale  was  a  member),  Francis  M.  Finch  read  a  poem,  from 
which  the  followine  is  taken  : 


The  dark  wave,  the  plumed  wave, 
It  meets  his  eager  glance, 

And  it  sparkles  'neath  the  stars 
Like  the  glimmer  of  a  lance  ; 

The  dark  wave,  the  plumed  wave, 
Like  an  emerald  expanse. 


By  starlight  and  moonlight 
He  seeks  the  Briton's  camp  ; 

He  hears  the  rustling  flag, 

And  the  sentry's  steady  tramp  ; 

While  the  starlight  and  moonlight 
His  silent  wanderings  lamp. 


With  slow  tread  and  still  tread, 

He  scans  the  tented  line  ; 
And  he  counts  the  battery  guns 

Beneath  the  gaunt  and  shadowy  pine  ; 
And  his  slow  tread  and  still  tread 

Betrays  no  warning  sign. 


In  the  long  night,  the  still  night. 

He  kneels  upon  the  sod  ; 
While  the  brutal  guards  withhold 

E'en  the  inspiring  Word  of  God  ! 
In  the  long  night,  the  still  night. 

He  walks  where  Christ  hath  trod. 


With  calm  brow,  and  firm  brow. 
He  prepares  to  meet  his  doom  ; 

In  his  look  there  is  no  fear. 
Not  a  shadow  trace  of  gloom  ; 

But  with  calm  brow  and  firm  brow 
He  robes  him  for  the  tomb. 


To  drum-beat  and  heart-beat, 
The  soldier  marches  by  ; 

There  is  color  on  his  cheek 
There  is  courage  in  his  eye  ; 

Yet  to  drum-beat  and  heart-beat 
Responsive  —  he  must  die. 


On  the  Sunday  morn,  the  sunny  morn, 

He  dies  upon  the  tree  ; 
And  he  mourns  that  he  can  sacrifice 

But  one  life  for  liberty  ; 
And  on  the  Sunday  morn,  the  sunny  morn, 

His  spirit  wings  were  free. 


From  fame-leaf  and  Angel-leaf, 

From  monument  and  urn, 
The  souls  of  earth,  the  hosts  of  Heaven, 

His  tragic  fate  shall  learn  ; 
And  on  fame-leaf  and  Angcl-leaf 

Hale's  name  wiUi  pride  will  burn. 


Chapter  VII. 

0 — n — o 


]aer)CGlicf     o/ipriold. 


"KIT 


H  E  proud  State  which  gave  to  liberty,  humanity  and  immortality 
a  Nathan  Hale,  also  bred  and  turned  loose  upon  the  country  a 
Benedict  Arnold.  Throucjh  all  the  centuries  —  from  the  advent 
of  Cain  to  Judas  Iscariot,  to  Cataline,  Caligula  and  Nero  —  down  to  the 
era  of  Jefferson  Davis — in  every  heroic  struggle  for  human  rights  and 
human  progress,  the  records  of  history  invariably  reveal  the  nefarious 


BENEDICT  ARNOLD, 

plottings  of  some  lone  diabolical  traitor.  Arnold  was  the  solitary  traitor 
of  the  Revolution.  There  were  other  discontents  and  malcontents, 
but  none  like  him.  Gates,  Lee  and  Conway  were  an  ignoble  trio;  still, 
they  were  only  scheming  for  personal  advantage  or  promotion  within 
the   ranks.     Aaron    Burr   may   have    approached  nearer  to   Arnold's 

155 


156  His       Apologists. 

standard,  but  was  saved  by  the  plea  of  "  No  overt  act"  and  discharged 
b)'  the  Scotch  verdict,  "  Not  proven."  Yet  he  did  not  attempt  to  sacri- 
fice the  cause  of  his  Country  —  for  which  humanity  was  contending. 

The  story  of  Arnold's  infamy  seems  like  some  hideous  fiction.  It  is 
no  justification  of  his  villainy  (as  some  of  his  biographers  allege)  that 
he  was  brave,  or  impulsive  ;  that  he  was  proud-spirited,  or  that  he  was 
snubbed  by  Congress,  or  slighted,  or  assigned  to  subordinate  commands 
by  his  superior  officers.  The  facts  prove  that  he  received  greater  con- 
sideration from  his  associates  and  superiors  than  strict  policy  required 
or  wisdom  justified.  Others  suffered  greater  indignities  without  mani- 
festing such  venom  or  resorting  to  such  methods  of  revenge.  Wash- 
ington was  more  frequently  slighted  and  humiliated,  and  more  intensely 
villified,  than  any  other  officer  in  the  Continental  Army ;  but  he  pos- 
sessed what  Arnold  did  not —  a  character  that  was  irreproachable;  and 
this  furnishes  the  best  solution  of  Arnold's  career.  His  moral  obliquity 
was  the  sole  cause  of  his  perfidy. 

There  is  a  deeper  motive  for  crime  than  mere  impulsiveness  or 
wantonness:  the  heart  —  the  mainspring  of  action ;  if  it  be  wrong, 
the  man  is  certain  to  connive  at  infamy  at  every  opportunity.  The 
position  which  Arnold  desired  would  afford  him  the  greater  facili- 
ties for  plotting  mischief.  Washington  and  Hamilton  knew  that  he 
was  absolutely  without  controlling  moral  principle,  and  reasoned  cor- 
rectly that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  invest  him  with  responsibilities 
or  elevate  him  to  positions  where  his  influence  could  be  exerted  to 
the  injury  of  others  or  for  his  selfish,  personal  ends.  It  was  not  their 
jealousy,  but  their  fear  of  him,  that  urged  them  to  place  him  where  he 
properly  belonged,  and  to  keep  him  where  he  was  of  the  greatest  ser- 
vice to  the  cause.  His  apologists  claim  that,  as  he  was  a  good  fighter, 
he  was,  therefore,  entitled  to  promotion.  Admitting  the  former,  the 
latter  might  be  considered  were  other  circumstances  equal.  But  it  is 
folly  to  assume  that,  because  he  united  great  courage,  or  great  force, 
with  greater  depravity,  he  was,  consequently,  fitted  to  lead  an  army 
or  hold  safely  in  his  selfish  grasp  the  interests  of  a  country.  Bru- 
tality and  avarice  do  not  breed  patriots  ;  and  because  he  could  boast 
of  his  powers  as  a  fighter  or  bully,  and  could  thrash  his  schoolmates 
for  the  simple  satisfaction  of  demonstrating  his  brutish  propensities, 
it  cannot  be  urged  that  he  was  competent  or  qualified  to  guide  an 
army  or  advance  the  cause  of  justice  and  human  freedom,  unless  indi- 
rectly, in  the  positions  where  his  superiors  had  placed  him,  and  where 
they  were  willing  he  should  be  retained. 

It  was  notorious  that  Arnold  had  been  incorrigible  from  infancy. 
When  a  boy  he  was  disobedient,  reckless,  vicious,  vulgar  and  profane. 


p 


H  A  R  A  C  T  E  R^I  S  T  I  C  S  .  ]  r,7 


llis  pious  mother,  it  is  recorded,  has  said  that  one  of  liis  passionate 
deHghts  was  tlie  impalinsj;  of  Hies,  and  this  at  a  period  when  he  pos- 
sessed the  faculty  of  discrimination  between  rii^ht  and  wrong,  lie  was 
said  to  be  witty,  active,  intrisj^uini;^  and  precocious.  The  only  instance 
mentioned  in  support  of  the  latter  seems  to  have  been  one  day 
when  his  mother's  pastor  found  him  vi<j^orously  twisting  the  cat's  tail, 
(one  of  his  favorite  diversions)  and  rebuked  him  for  cruell)-,  when,  in 
reply,  he  propounded  the  conundrum  whether  the  music  thus  produced 
was  vocal  or  instrumental,  and  offered  to  argue  the  proposition,  with 
the  pastor,  by  taking  either  side  of  the  question. 

It  is  an  infirmity  with  some  writers  to  attempt  to  elevate  a  character 
above  its  just  level  or  depress  it  below  its  true  standard,  as  sympathy  or 
policy  may  suggest;  but  there  is  only  one  commendable  trait  that  was 
ever  developed  in  Arnold's  career,  and  that  sprung  from  his  restless,  in- 
ordinate, insatiable  desire  for  notoriety,  and  avarice.  Let  the  "  rarity  of 
Christian  charity"  be  forever  invoked  in  his  case,  and  let  it  be  conspicu- 
ous for  its  rarity;  for  though  time  may  temper  and  obscure,  and  charity 
palliate  or  abate,  a  venial  offense,  let  not  history,  nor  maudlin  sym- 
pathy, nor  mawkish  sentimentality,  nor  misplaced  charit}-,  tamper 
with  loyalty  by  seeking  to  belittle,  or  condone,  or  compound,  that 
most  atrocious  of  crimes,  and  which  is  the  only  one  defined  in  the 
Constitution. 

Apparently,  Arnold  purposely  selected  the  time  for  the  perpetration 
of  his  treachery  at  the  gloomiest  period  of  the  war  (1780)  —  when  the 
public  credit  was  gone  ;  when  the  people  were  most  impoverished  and 
distressed  ;  when  the  Country  was  at  the  mercy  of  unscrupulous  hordes 
of  speculators,  and  at  a  time  when  five  hundred  dollars  in  Continental 
currency  would  sell  for  but  one  dollar  in  specie.  States  Rights  advocates 
were  blatant  in  the  Confederated  Congress  —  were  fomenting  jealousies 
and  discords  which  caused  it  to  legislate  slowly,  inharmoniously  and 
inefficiently,  so  that  the  patriot  forces  were  neglected  and  were  without 
necessary  food  or  comfortable  clothing,  while  the  whole  coast,  from  and 
below  New  York  City,  was  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy.  It  was 
at  such  a  time  that  Arnold,  who  had  fought  at  Oueenstown,  Ridsfefield, 
Ticondero^a  and  Quebec,  who  was  wounded  at  Saratoga  (and  from 
which  wounds  he  had  not  recovered),  was  watching  the  opportunity  to 
consummate  his  own  sale  and  delivery  to  the  British  forces  for  the  sum 
of  ten  thousand  guineas  and  a  commission  of  Brigadier  General  in  the 
King's  Army.  But  his  time  had  not  yet  come.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
thought  the  price  extravagant  and  also  doubted  Arnold's  ability,  or  dis- 
trusted his  ijood  faith  in  the  final  consummation  of  such  a  baro-ain.  At 
this  juncture  the  British  forces  evacuated  Philadelphia,  and  Arnold,  in 


158  Schemes. 

response  to  his  urgent  request,  was  appointed  Military  Governor 
thereof — his  wounds  not  having  sufficiently  healed  to  capacitate  him 
for  active  service.  Here  he  took  possession  of  the  residence  of  Wil- 
liam Penn  and  entered  upon  a  career  of  debauchery  and  profligacy, 
procuring  money  (which  he  must  have  to  mantain  his  expenses)  by  a 
system  of  frauds  and  a  prostitution  of  his  official  powers  to  such  an 
extent  that,  upon  complaint  of  the  citizens,  he  was  arrested,  tried  by 
court  martial  and  found  guilty  of  some  of  the  charges,  but,  in  consid- 
eration of  past  services,  was  only  sentenced  to  be  reprimanded  by 
the  Commander-in-Chief. 

When  appointed  Military  Governor  he  was  a  widower,  forty 
years  of  age.  About  this  time  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
Shippen,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  families  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  a  lady  of  rare  accomplishments.  His  pride  was  severely 
wounded  by  the  decision  of  the  court  martial,  and  upon  being  repri- 
manded by  Washington  he  professed  repentance  and  importuned  him 
for  an  appointment  as  department  commander,  with  headquarters 
upon  the  Hudson.  Washington  and  Hamilton  were  opposed  to  plac- 
ing him  in  a  position  of  such  responsibility,  but,  to  avoid  the  taunts  of 
his  followers,  the  appointment  was  made,  and  he  established  headquar- 
ters at  West  Point,  and  Robinson's  Landing,  upon  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  a  short  distance  below. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  of  the  British  forces,  held  New  York  City  and 
its  immediate  surroundings.  Above  this,  a  portion  of  Westchester 
County,  lying  between  the  two  armies,  was  considered  as  neutral 
ground.  This  afforded  him  the  long-coveted  opportunity  to  re-open 
secret  negotiations  with  Clinton. 

Clinton  had  long  suspected  and  was  now  positive  of  the  identity  of 
his  correspondent.  Arnold  finally  made  overtures  to  Clinton  of  such 
definite  character,  that  the  latter  resolved  to  consider  them.  These 
were  the  complete  surrender  of  the  forces  in  his  command,  with  all 
the  munitions  of  war  and  posts  occupied  at  that  date.  The  carrying 
out  of  this  villianous  scheme  was  contingent  upon  some  details  that 
necessitated  a  personal  interview  between  the  authors,  or  some  per- 
sons sharing  their  confidence. 

For  the  honor  of  American  loyalty  and  manhood  it  may  be  said, 
there  was  not  another  person,  in  or  out  of  service,  whom  the  wily 
Arnold  could  fully  trust,  and  he  must  needs  do  his  nefarious  work 
himself. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton's  dignity  and  reputed  courage  were  unequal  to 
this  mode  of  strategy,  and  he  must  necessarily  employ  a  substitute. 
He  broached  the  subject  of  the  negotiations  to  his  Adjutant,  Major 


"Y 


N  C  LE 


r> 


"J  E  V  E  R  L  Y 


IG'J 


BEVERLY    ROBINSON. 


John  Andre,  a  talented  young  officer,  who  had  met  Arnohl  in  I'hila- 
delphia,  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Shippen,  and  who  was  well  ac(iuainted 
with  his  daughter,  now  the  wife  of  Arnold.  Together  they  conferred 
with  Colonel  Beverly  Robinson,  regarding  the  expediency  of  the 
project.  "  Uncle  Bev,"  as  he  was  famil- 
iarly known,  was  an  enthusiastic,  versatile 
genius,  who  had  attained  considerable  dis- 
tinction as  the  foremost  officer  in  every 
retreat.  He  could  also  pose  majestically 
at  a  dress-parade,  but  in  a  real  emergency 
was  rara  avis.  He  could  fight,  from  his 
standpoint,  upon  either  side  in  a  contest, 
and  had  been  upon  both  sides,  alter- 
nating as  policy  or  interest  might  seem  to 
dictate.  He  first  appears  conspicuously  as 
one  of  the  Liberty  Boys  (p.  Sg).  After 
that,  he  joined  the  Britons.  At  a  later 
period  he  was  an  American  "  patriot  "(?). 
Then  he  was  a  neutral,  and  so  remained 
until  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
promulgated,  which  he  asserted  contained 
rash  problems,  and,  it  being  too  radical  for  his  conservative  views,  he,, 
like  an  alleged  "true  mugwump,"  went  over  to  his  friends,  the  enemy, 
finding  a  peaceful,  congenial  refuge  within  the  British  lines.  He  still 
owned  an  estate  upon  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  at  the  point  named 
"Robinson's  Landing,"  and  his  residence  was  the  headquarters  of 
Arnold.  He  knew  Arnold  intimately,  and  also  most  of  the  officers 
under  Washington's  command. 

A  short  time  prior  to  the  interview  between  Clinton,  Andre  and 
Robinson ;  Washington,  Lafayette  and  Hamilton  joined  in  a  confer- 
ence at  West  Point,  for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  a  plan  to  papture 
New  York  City  by  a  concerted  movement  of  the  French  and  Ameri- 
can forces — a  part  of  Avhom  were  then  quartered  upon  the  Connecticut 
River  below  Hartford.  After  the  interview  they  proceeded  to  Hart- 
ford to  inspect  the  troops,  preparatory  to  the  final  movements.  This 
left  Arnold  master  of  the  situation  at  West  Point.  He  succeeded  in 
sending  a  message,  under  his  assumed  name,  to  Clinton,  informing  him 
of  the  intentions  of  Washington,  and  urged  an  immediate  interview 
for  perfecting  the  details  of  his  scheme.  This  spurred  Clinton  (who 
was  a  cautious,  conservative  officer)  to  extraordinary  activity.  "  Uncle 
Beverly "  was  enthusiastic  over  the  project  and  urged  upon  Clinton 
immediate  action.     The  former  saw,  from  his  characteristic  standpoint,^ 


160 


Major^     And  r^e  , 


the  probable  recovery  of  his  estate,  while  the  latter  contemplated, 
if  the  arrangement  was  successful,  the  sudden  collapse  of  the  war,  with 
the  British  the  victors. 

Clinton  proposed  an  interview  with  Arnold,  who  accepted,  but  sub- 
sequently declined  it,  and  requested  that  Andre  be  sent  to  meet  him. 

Robinson  volunteered  to  accompany 
Andre,  but  Arnold  suddenly  developed 
a  new  infirmity  —  a  fear  that  he  might  be 
captured  by  some  British  strategy  before 
he  should  secure  the  price  or  considera- 
tion ;  and  sent  word  that  the  British 
pickets  upon  the  river  were  too  alert  to 
permit  him  to  pass  their  posts  in  safety  ; 
then  returned  to  concoct  a  scheme  that 
would  involve  less  personal  danger.  His 
former  courage  seems  to  have  deserted 
him.  He,  who  had  so  often  bared  his 
breast  to  British  bullets,  was  now  tax- 
ing his  ingenuity  to  discover  some 
trail  whereby  he  might  crawl  upon  his 
belly  through  the  enemy's  lines  to  seal 
his  infamy. 

Robinson  went  up  the  river  the  next  day  on  board  the  British  sloop 
"  Vulture,"  to  a  point  opposite  Haverstraw,  with  a  pretense  of  making 
some  inquiries  concerning  his  residence,  which  Arnold,  with  his  wife 
and  child,  were  still  occupying.  He  succeeded  in  communicating  with 
Arnold,  from  whom  he  received  word  that,  on  the  night  of  the  20th,  he 
might  look  out  for  a  boat  that  would  be  sent  to  the  vessel  for  such  pur- 
pose as  might  then  be  divulged. 

Robinson  hastened  to  New  York  to  communicate  progress  to  Clin- 
ton ;  and  Andre  was  immediately  dispatched  by  land  to  proceed  to  and 
board  the  "  Vulture"  and  await  developments  by  Arnold.  Andre  was 
cautioned  by  Clinton  (who  was  still  suspicious)  not  to  change  his  uni- 
form, nor  pass  within  the  American  lines,  nor  give  nor  receive  any 
papers  that  would  compromise  his  chief  or  himself. 

With  Clinton's  admonitions  and  "Uncle  Beverly's"  benedictions, 
Andre  departed  upon  his  evenful  mission.  Clinton  believed  Arnold's 
purpose  to  be,  to  board  the  "  Vulture  "  and  conclude  negotiations.  But 
Arnold's  fears  possessed  him  still,  and  he  refused  to  place  himself  in 
Clinton's  power  or  in  any  situation  that  would  not  give  him  the  advan- 
tage. He,  therefore,  hired  one  Joshua  Smith,  who  resided  near  the 
river,  below  Haverstraw,  to  row  out  to  the   "Vulture "by  night  and 


MAJOR    JOHN    ANDRE. 


The      Nec;otiations. 


1(J1 


deliver  a  letter,  addressed  to  Andre,  requestiiiiL;-  a  conference  on  shore 
and  stipulating  that  he  must  come  unattended.  Andre  feared  that  un- 
less he  complied,  his  mission  niifjlit  prove  a  failure,  and,  disregarding- 
Clmton's  orders,  accompanied  Smith  to  the  shore,  the  latter  having 
been  told  that  the  inter\'ie\v  was  for  the  purpose  of  completing  purchases 
of  land,  the  titles  to  which  were  imperfect  and  were  held  by  the 
British,  many  of  whom  at  an  earlier  period  had  purchased  residences 
and  farms  alonir  the  shores  of  the  Hudson,  but  since  the  arrival  of  the 
American  Army,  and  particularly  since  the  advent  of  Arnold,  had  de- 
serted them  and  ijone  within  the  British  lines. 

Arnold  disguised  himself  by  a  change  of  dress,  and,  serpent-like, 
crawled  into  a  mass  of  bushes,  where  Smith  subsequently  conducted 
Andre  and  withdrew.  This  was  about  midnight,  September  21,  1780. 
The  details  of  that  interview  have  never  been  recorded. 

The  gray  dawn  of  morning  found  them  still  there,  and  about  an 
hour  after  sunrise  Smith  re-appeared.  There  are  evidences  that  an 
agreement  had  not  been  reached  when  Andre  asked  Smith  to  row  him 
back  to  the  "  Vulture."  The  latter  declined  —  it  is  believed,  by  a  previ- 
ous understanding  with  Arnold ;  but  stated  (as  an  excuse  for  non-com- 
pliance) that  his  movements  on  the  night  previous  had  aroused  the 
suspicions  of  the  guards  upon  the  river.  He  then  brought  two 
horses,  which  Arnold  and  Andre  mounted,  the  uniform  of  the  latter 
being  concealed  by  Smith's  cloak,  and  the  two  proceeded  to  Smith's 
residence  for  breakfast.  While  at  the  table,  some  American  batteries 
opened  fire  upon  the  "Vulture,"  which  weighed  anchor  and  passed 
down  the  river  out  of  sight,  but  anchored  again  at  Teller's  Point,  a  few 
miles  below. 

Arnold's  strategy  had  cut  off  Andre's  retreat  by  the  route  he 
came,  and  he  was  then  in  an  upper  room  of  Smith's  house,  within  the 
American  lines,  without  a  flaof,  in  the  uniform  of  a  British  officer,  and  his 
task  was  not  yet  finished.  All  day  the  conference  lasted,  and  at  night 
Andre  endeavored  to  persuade  Smith  to  row  him  down  the  river  in 
search  of  the  "  Vulture  "  ;  but  the  latter  refused  to  incur  the  risk.  At 
last,  however,  Smith  was  induced,  for  a  consideration,  to  accompany 
him  a  portion  of  the  way  to  New  York  by  land.  Andre  exchanged  his 
uniform  for  citizen's  dress,  and  at  eight  o'clock  that  night,  accompanied 
by  a  colored  servant,  they  commenced  the  journey  on  horseback. 
Andre  had  in  his  possession  the  maps  and  papers  executed  by 
Arnold,  containing  details  of  the  plans  of  the  forts,  the  munitions,  etc., 
together  with  the  number  of  men  in  his  commanci.  The  plan  of 
action  for  the  British  Army  was  to  proceed  in  transports  up  the  river 
to  a  point  five  miles  below  West  Point,  where  they  were  to  land  and 


162 


The    R  e  t  u  i\n 


form  two  divisions  one  upon  each  side  of  the  river,  passing  up  under 
cover  of  the  British  fleet  to  the  vicinity  of  West  Point ;  then  demand 
the  suri;ender  of  the  garrison.  Arnold's  part  was  to  make  a  feint,  to 
retain  possession,  and  then  surrender  his  entire  command.  Andre,  be- 
fore his  departure,  having  assumed  the  name  of  John  Anderson,  was 
provided  with  a  pass  written  by  Arnold,  a  fac-simile  of  which  is  here 
shown  : 


i'^S*?*! 


Andre  and  Smith  crossed  the  river  at  Verplank's  Point  and  turned 
southward  toward  White  Plains.  After  reaching  Pine's  Bridge,  Smith 
refused  to  go  further,  stating  that  they  were  upon  neutral  ground,  and, 
with  the  servant,  returned,  leaving  Andre  to  continue  the  journey 
alone.  Smith  advised  him  to  go  direct  to  White  Plains,  thus  avoiding 
the  "cow  boys,"  who  haunted  the  river  road;  but,  again,  he  ignored 
other's  suggestions  and  turned  his  horse  toward  Tarrytown  and  the  river, 
thinking,  doubtless,  that  he  might  intercept  the"  Vulture,"  or,  if  not,  that 
the  "  cow  boys  "  could  be  depended  on  to  pilot  him  safely  through. 

These  "cow  boys"  were  chiefly  British  outlaws  or  refugees,  who 
lived  by  plundering  the  residents  and  by  driving  off  the  cattle,  sheep 
and  pigs,  of  the  non-combatants  who  occupied  farms  in  the  neutral 
territory,  and  selling  them  to  Clinton's  forces  in  New  York.  Hence  he 
felt  more  secure  in  the  localities  where  they  operated.  But,  seemingly, 
the  interposition  of  an  Unseen  Power  became  suddenly  apparent. 


"Who     poEs    Tmep^e?"  103 

A  little  company  of  j)atri()ts,  seven  in  niunbcr,  resolved  to  watch 
these  thicvini;-  "cow  boys,"  and,  so  far  as  jjossible.  prevent  further 
depredations.  Three  of  them  (John  I'auldin--.  Isaac  Van  Wart  and 
David  Williams)  concealed  themselves  by  the  roadside  near  Tarry- 
town,  and  were  enga<;ed  in  playing  cards,  for  diversion,  when  Andre 
came  riding  along  from  the  direction  of  Sleepy  Hollow,  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  They  hailed  and  stopped  him.  asking  'AVhither 
bound?"  He  first  replied,  "To  New  York,"  and  upon  further  ques- 
tioning, supposing  them  to  be  "  cow  boys."  answered  :  "  Hoys,  I  be- 
long to  your  party  ;  I  am  a  British  officer."  They  informed  him  of  his 
mistake  and  notified  him  o(  his  arrest,  when  he  changed  his  tactics, 
stating  that  he  was  an  American  officer,  bearing  a  secret  verbal  mes- 
sage to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  asked  them  to  permit  him  to  pass  with- 
out further  detention.  To  verify  the  latter  assertion  he  exhibited  the 
pass  from  Arnold,  which  he  had  found  necessary  to  show  upon  two 
previous  occasions  during  the  progress  of  his  journey. 

Andre's  duplicity  aroused  suspicion,  and  his  captors  insisted  on 
searching  his  pockets.  Thev  had  ripped  open  the  saddle  upon  his 
horse  and,  finding  noth- 
ing, were  about  to  let 
him  £[0  when  one  said, 
"  Let  us  strip  him ! " 
Andre  quailed  at  this 
last  proposition  and  re- 
proached them  for  pro- 
posing such  an  indig- 
nity. He  then  pleaded 
that  time  was  too  pre- 
cious for  such  trifling, 
and  finally  offered  them 
all  the  money  in  his 
possession  to  be  per- 
mitted to  continue  his 
journey. 

The  trio  were  made 
of  sterner  stuff  than 
Arnold,  and,  laughing 
at  his  embarrassment, 
commenced  disrobing: 
him.  In  his  stockings 
were  the  papers  and 
diagrams    Arnold     had 


ARREST    OF    ANDRE. 


164  E  X  C  I  T  I  N  G       E 


VENTS 


furnished  him.  He  next  confessed  that  there  were  some  private  nego- 
tiations pending  between  Arnold  and  Clinton,  and  pleaded  for  release^ 
offering  to  obligate  himself  to  them  for  any  amount  of  money  they 
might  name,  to  effect  his  deliverance.  Neither  their  poverty  nor  their 
will  would  consent,  and  he  was  at  once  escorted  to  Colonel  Jameson's 
headquarters,  on  the  North  Castle  road,  that  being  the  nearest  post 
station. 

Jameson  listened  to  Andre's  ingenious  explanations,  and  was  about 
to  release  him  when  one  of  the  subordinate  officers  susrorested  that  he 
be  sent  back  to  Arnold.  While  the  facts  bearing  upon  his  arrest  and 
the  papers  necessary  for  his  transfer  to  Arnold  were  being  written  and 
signed,  Major  Tallmadge,  of  the  American  forces,  rushed  into  head- 
quarters  and  exclaimed  :   "  Benedict  Arnold  is  a traitor !  and 

this  fellow  is  a spy  !  " 

Andre  was  then  sent,  under  guard,  to  North  Salem,  for  detention 
until  his  statements  and  actions  had  been  further  investigated.  Jame- 
son, however,  in  his  simplicity  and  stupidity,  wrote  Arnold  a  note  to 
the  effect  that  "  a  gentleman,  named  Mr.  John  Anderson,  had  been 
detained  temporarily  as  a  prisoner,"  and,  after  describing  the  circum- 
stances, asked  what  disposition  should  be  made  of  him. 

Those  were  days  of  terrible  uncertainty  and  anxiety.  Treachery 
w^as  lurking  everywhere.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  also  anticipating 
trouble  from  Andre's  absence  and  silence.  Robinson  added  to  his  fears 
by  raising  a  suspicion  that  Andre  might  have  played  the  role  of  traitor 
and  was  conniving  with  Arnold  for  the  capture  of  New  York,  and  that 
this  had  been  his  object  from  the  beginning,  for  the  "Vulture"  had 
just  returned  without  Andre,  and  could  give  no  account  of  him  other 
than  that  of  his  leaving  the  ship,  which  w^as  contrary  to  Clinton's  in- 
structions. The  vessel  was  immediately  dispatched  up  the  river  again 
to  make  renewed  inquiries,  and  the  British  Army  made  preparations  in 
anticipation  of  a  sudden  attack.  Upon  the  other  hand,  Washington, 
Hamilton,  Lafayette  and  Knox  had  returned  from  Connecticut  three 
days  earlier  than  expected,  and,  upon  the  day  when  Arnold,  in  pursu- 
ance of  his  agreement  with  Andre,  expected  the  British  Army  and  fleet 
at  West  Point  to  demand,  formally,  its  surrender. 

Who  can  imagine  Arnold's  dilemma  when, —  sitting  at  his  table 
in  Robinson's  house  on  that  eventful  morning,  Hamilton  and  Lafayette 
rode  up,  to  breakfast  with  him,  and  simultaneously  came  the  messenger 
from  Jameson  bringing  the  announcement  of  the  capture  and  detention 
of  Andre  ? 

Washington  and  Knox  had  left  the  others,  upon  arrival  from  Con- 
necticut, and  crossed  to  West   Point  before  breakfast,  to  obtain  dis- 


/^ 


N  O  LD ' S 


^  S  C  A  P  E  .  1G5 


I);Uchcs,  and  there  Icarnecl  that  iXnioKl  luul  been  away  from  the  post 
several  clays,  without  giving];'  reasons  for  his  absence.  When  about  to 
recross  to  Robinson's,  Washington  was  met  !>)■  a  bearer  of  dispatches, 
who  handed  him  the  papers,  that  had  been  tak(  n  from  Andre's  stock- 
inq-s,  and  which  bore  the  handwritintr  of  Arnold. 

Arni)ld,  immediately  upon  the  arrival  oi  the  first  messenger, 
excused  himself  from  the  tal)le,  informing  Hamilton  and  Lafayette 
that  he  was  not  feeling  well,  and,  calling  his  wife  aside,  told  her 
there  was  some  temporary  trouble,  but  not  to  speak  of  it  nor  betray 
any  emotion,  and,  kissing  her  and  her  child  adieu,  mounted  the 
messenger's  horse  at  the  door  and  rode  rapidly  down  to  the  ri\'er, 
where  he  saw  the  "  Vulture  "  coming  u[)  the  stream.  He  dis- 
mounted, jumped  into  a  fisherman's  boat  and  rowed  out  to  the  ship, 
holding  a  white  handkerchief  in  token  of  surrender.  He  was  received 
on  board  the  vessel  which  speedily  returned  to  New  York.  Hamilton 
and  Lafayette,  noticing  Mrs.  Arnold's  embarrassment  and  not  knowing 
the  cause  soon  withdrew,  to  cross  the  river,  to  confer  with  Washincrton, 
who  met  them  on  the  way  and  laid  before  them  the  full  evidences  of 
Arnold's  treachery  and  villainy. 

In  was  a  sad  meeting  by  the  roadside  on  that  September  morning, 
when  those  three  patriots  sat  down  together  and,  looking  into  each 
other's  faces,  Washington  broke  the  painful  silence  with  the  exclama- 
tion, "What,  in  the  name  of  God,  shall  we  do  next ;  and  whom  can  we 
trust  .'*  "  While  reproaching  himself  for  leaving  Arnold  alone,  and  for 
having  yielded  to  the  latrer's  solicitations  at  the  outset,  another  mes- 
senger arrived  with  a  letter  from  Andre,  frankly  confessing  all,  and 
pleading  for  mercy  and  forgiveness. 

There  was  no  doubt  of  Clinton's  intention  to  move  his  forces  up  the 
river  and  capture  the  garrison,  and  there  was  no  power  that  could  suc- 
cessfully oppose  him.  His  troops  outnumbered  those  of  the  Americans 
by  at  least  twenty-five  thousand  and  the  additional  advantages  of  a 
simultaneous  attack  by  land  and  water  would  have  rendered  success 
doubly  certain.  Arnold  was  with  him,  if  Andre  was  not,  and  he  knew 
all  with  which  he  had  to  contend. 

The  bulk  of  the  patriot  forces  were  upon  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
below  Tappan.  Orders  were  given  to  collect  all  the  troops  immediately 
available,  while  Washington  calmly  awaited  an  attack  Hamilton,  after 
the  first  intelligence  of  Arnold's  flight,  proceeded,  with  several  attend- 
ants, down  the  river  bank,  on  horseback,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
further  information  of  the  "Vulture"  and  of  the  probable  designs  of 
the  enemy.  Upon  his  return  to  West  Point,  Washington  requested  him 
to  visit  Mrs.  Arnold,  and  inform  her  fully  of  her  husband's  treachery 


IGG 


f 


XECUTION      OF 


/ 


N  D  P^E  . 


and   also  to   make   arrangements   for  her  removal    beyond  the    lines. 
Some  particulars  of  this  sad  duty  are  noted  on  page  91. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  through  his  extreme  caution  and  conservatism, 
failed  to  act  promptly  upon  the  information  Arnold  imparted  to  him, 
and  once  more  the  patriots'  hopes  revived. 

Andre  was  first  taken  to  West  Point,  then  to  Tappan,  where,  upon 
the  29th,  a  court  martial  was  held.  He  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced 
to  be  hanged  as  a  spy  on  the  afternoon  of  October  i.  Washington  is 
reported  to  have  shed  tears  when  he  signed  the  death  warrant,  stat- 
iuQ-  that  it  was  the  saddest  act  of  his  life. 

Andre  was  but  twenty-nine  years  old  ;  was  possessed  of  rare  intel- 
lectual and  social  qualities,  and,  by  his  demeanor,  had  won  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  all  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  knew  him.  He  was  a 
poet  and  a  painter  of  considerable  merit,  and  employed  a  great  portion 
of  the  time  during  his  confinement  in  writing  letters  and  poetry  and 
making  pen  sketches  of  himself  and  others.  He  addressed  a  letter  to 
Washington  upon  the  day  before  his  execution  (p.  92),  but  the 
strict  rules  of  war  forbade  compliance  with  his  request,  and  he  was 
hanged  from  a  tree  upon  Tappan  Heights,  on  October  2,  1780,  the 
time  having  been  extended  one  day,  by  Washington,  at  the  request  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  desired  to  negotiate  an  exchange  for  Arnold; 
but  the  wily  villain  was  not  to  be  found  when  wanted  ;  nor  is  it  likely 
that  such  an  exchange  would  have  been  consummated,  in  view  of 
the  precedent  and  of  the  brutal  exhibition  at  the  execution  of  Hale  but 

four  years  previous,  the  recollections  of 
which  were  yet  fresh  and  rankled  in  the 
breast  of  every  American.  But  no  such 
indignities  were  offered  Andre,  and 
every  request  and  wish  of  his  heart,  not 
inconsistent  with  the  rules  of  war,  was 
scrupulously  observed.  He  was  interred 
near  the  place  of  execution,  where  his 
remains  reposed  until  182 1,  when  they 
were  removed  by  request  of  the  Duke 
of  York  and  deposited  beside  the  beau- 
tiful marble  monument  erected  to  his 
memory  in  Westminster  Abbey,  to  rest 
forever  among  England's  illustrious  dead. 
The  monument  rests  upon  a  moulded 
paneled  marble  base,  supported  by  a 
massive  plinth.  Upon  the  base  is  the 
inscription  : 


BARTRAM 

TOMB  OF  AXDRK 
IN  WESTMINSTER  ABBEY. 


A  p^N  OLD'S    Exploits. 


k;? 


Sacred  to  the  nionioiv  of  Major  Aiulrc,  who,  raised  by  liis  merit,  at  an  early  period 
of  life,  to  the  rank  i.f  AdjiilaiU  (ieiieral  of  the  Uritish  forces  in  Amer  ca,  and  eni])loyed 
in  an  iniii'iitani  but  hazardous  enterprise,  fell  a  victim  to  his  zeal  for  his  King  anil  Coun- 
try the  -'d  Oaiihrr,  17S0,  aged  29,  universally  beloved  and  esteemed  by  the  Army  in 
whit  h  ho  served,  and  lamented  even  by  his  foes.  I  lis  (Iracious  Sovereign,  King  George 
III,  has  caused  this  monument  to  be  erected. 

Upon  the  plinth  arc  the  following-  words  : 

The  remains  of  the  said  Major  Andre  were  deposited  on  the  2Sth  of  November,  1821, 
in  a  j;rave  near  this  inonumcnl. 

The  figures  upon  the  front  face,  in  dcnii-relief,  were  cut  by  Van 
Geldcr.  A  flag  of  truce  is  represented  as  the  occasion  of  presenting 
to  Washington  the  letter  written  by  Andre  and  referred  to  on  page  92. 

Thus  Andre's  fame  is  perpetuated,  in  the  land  he  loved,  with  the 
hosts  of  England's  heroes  and  sages.  And  monuments  to  his  memory 
have  been  erected  here,  but  no  stone  yet  marks  the  place  where  Nathan 
Hale  gave  up  his  life  for  his  country.  It  has  required  nearly  a  century 
to  erect  a  creditable  monument  to  the  memory  of  Washington.  How 
many  years  must  elapse  before  the  patriotic  citizens  of  New  York  will 
rear  another  in  recognition  of  their  appreciation  of  the  inestimable 
services  of  the  Hero  of  Appomattox  ? 

After  Arnold's  defection,  Clinton  placed  him  in  command  of  a  regi- 
ment of  bushwhackers,  when,  for  a  time,  he  engaged  in  plundering  the 
peaceful  residents  upon  the  coasts  of  Maryland  and  Delaware.  He 
fitly  closed  his  military  career  in  the  service  of  his  new  master  by  deso- 
lating several  towns  and  cities  upon  the  border  of  the  State  in  which  he 
was  born,  which  had  reared  him  from  infancy  and  prospered  him  in 
maturer  years  in  his  business  pursuits.  A  few  years  ago  the  writer 
saw,  in  the  attic  of  the  old  house  in  New  Haven  that  he  once  occu- 
pied, a  solitary  relic  ^  his  sign  —  upon  which  were  the  letters:  "  B. 
Arnold,  Druggist."  Upon  his  arrival  in  New  Haven  he  opened  a  store 
for  the  sale  of  miscellaneous  merchandise,  but  abandoned  it  and  re- 
turned to  the  selling  of  drugs  with  which  he  was  more  familiar.  He 
commenced  the  business  of  a  druggist  in  Norwich  several  years  before 
his  removal  to  New  Haven.  The  writer  finds  in  The  Connecticut 
Courant  of  January  24    1776,  the  following  : 

Benedict  Arnold  wants  to  buy  a  number  of  large,  genteel,  fat  horses  ;  pork,  oats  and 
hay ;  and  has  to  sell  some  choice  cotton  and  salt,  by  quantity  or  retail,  and  other 
goods  as  usual. 

He  may  have  written  "gentle"  for  "genteel,"  but  the  newspaper  is 
responsible  for  the  paragraph  as  it  appears  above. 


168  Tr^aditions. 

The  ancient  town  of  Norwich  abounds  in  traditions  concerning  the 
great  traitor.  The  old  building,  where  he  learned  the  drug  business,  is 
still  standing  but  will  soon  be  demolished.  Nothing  will  then  re- 
main to  suggest  his  former  existence  except  the  old  well,  wherein  he 
used  to  drown  cats  for  pastime  and  also  throw  the  hats  and  shoes  of 
his  playmates.  The  old  house  where  he  was  born  was  destroyed  a^out 
thirty-five  years  ago.  The  old  residents  of  Norwich  used  to  say  that 
the  boy  Arnold,  when  not  twelve  years  old,  was  the  terror  of  the  town. 
His  nights  were  mostly  spent  in  robbing  the  neighbors  of  poultry, 
clipping  horses  tails  and  changing  the  gates  in  front  of  the  residences  ; 
fastening  tin  pails  to  the  tails  of  dogs  and  cows  —  often  saturating  them 
with  oil,  and  setting  them  on  fire,  and  also  perpetrating  divers  other 
species  of  iniquity.  An  instance  is  related  of  his  entering  a  pest  house 
where  several  patients  were  suffering  from  small-pox.  and,  lying  down 
beside  one  of  them  who  was  most  dangerously  ill,  gave  him  rum  and 
announced  to  the  invalids  that  he  defied  that  or  or  any  other  disease. 
Upon  his  return  to  his  drug  store  he  stopped  to  bathe  in  the  river  and 
sent  a  companion  home  for  a  change  of  clothing,  casting  the  suit  which 
he  had  worn  to  the  pest  house  into  the  river.  He  was  successful  as  a 
hunter,  and  as  a  fisherman.  It  is  alleged  that  he  killed,  upon  one  of 
his  hunting  expeditions,  when  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  a  wild  cat,  a 
bear  and  two  foxes  in  one  day. 

One  of  his  neighbors,  a  farmer,  who  had  suffered  from  depreda- 
tions upon  his  poultry  yard,  ventured  to  accuse  him  one  day  of  the 
offense,  when  he  drew  a  dagger  and  drove  it  through  the  arm  of  the 
farmer  threatening  to  kill  him  the  next  time  they  met,  unless  the 
latter  made  a  public  retraction  of  the  accusation.  He  committed  other 
outrages  upon  the  farmer  as  long  as  he  lived,  for  he  never  forgot 
an  enemy.  After  his  removal  to  New  Haven,  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  one  Peter  Boole,  a  tradesman  of  that  city,  who  soon  be- 
came envious  of  his  success  and  made  public  some  statements  that 
reflected  upon  his  character.  Arnold  caught  him  one  day  in  the  market 
and  took  him  to  the  public  whipping  post  on  the  Green;  then,  stripping 
him,  gave  him  forty  lashes  upon  the  bare  back. 

These  are  but  few  of  the  traditional  exploits  of  a  man  who  had 
the  audacity  and  baseness  of  Iscariot,  but  lacked  the  conscience  which 
brought  remorse,  at  last,  even  to  Judas's  wretched  heart. 

What  a  contrast  is  there  between  the  passions  and  purposes  of 
Arnold,  and  the  spirit  that  prompted  Benjamin  Franklin  —  of  fade- 
less memory  —  to  indite  the  letter  a  fac-simile  of  which  appears  upon 
the  opposite  page,  and  which  needs  no  other  explanation  in  this 
connection  : 


A      C  O  N  T  F^A  S  T  , 


169 


x) 


r^ 


4^ '^C-'gZ't.i^ 


^7^ 


I     ^'^'r:^-^'^^  ^^-z-^^^J^y-U^ri-^^n^  "^    J^«ii< 


■~^^^:'^-f^'''^t^:z^t^-c^^^.^^^^  ^C-c^yTyy^t^i^cyf—^^''^^ 


err^crrt^ 


*^2w3 


^^. 


.P7^Jyt^ey?^£/./:y?^  /7~t,e.^ 


^Urn 


'^j>t.c^y-'i 


(^^^^iTUy^- 


/ 


^Z'^Tt-j 


170  A  PyN  O  L  D  I  S  M  . 

After  surrendering  his  commission,  Arnold,  with  wife  and  child,, 
sailed  for  England,  where  he  soon  squandered  the  money  he  received  for 
his  treachery,  and  lived  in  poverty  and  obscurity  till  his  death  in  1801. 

Paulding,  Van  Wart  and  Williams  sleep  in  honored  graves  in  the 
land  they  loved;  where  monuments,  erected  by  the  citizens  of  this 
State,  mark  their  resting-places  and  remind  posterity  of  their  deeds  of 
virtue,  duty  and  loyalty.  But  Arnold  —  where  sleeps  he  ?  Not  a  Briton 
can  inform  you.  His  wife  was  neglected  and  died  broken-spirited  ;  his 
children  became  paupers,  though  the  English  Government  at  last  granted 
them  an  annual  pittance  to  keep  them  from  actual  starvation,  A  few 
years  since,  a  party  of  Americans,  including  the  writer,  were  standing 
before  the  tomb  of  Andre  in  Westminster  Abbey,  listening  to  the  old 
sexton's  oft-repeated  eulogiums  upon  his  character,  when  one  of  the 
number  interrupted  him  by  asking  if  he  knew  where  Arnold  was  buried, 
and  his  reply  was  :  "  Hang  me,  if  I  know  or  care  where  his  carcass  is  ; 
but  the  rest  of  him  is  in  h —  ; "  then,  pointing  to  the  tomb,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "That  man's  life  and  example  were  worth  more  to  England, 
to  America,  and  to  humanity,  than  a  million  Arnolds ! "  And  all 
responded,  "  Amen." 

No  flight  of  time,  nor  light  of  ages,  can  ever  lessen  or  lighten  the 
cloud  of  infamy  that  enshrouds  the  character  and  crimes  of  Arnold. 
Had  his  acts  involved  no  other  than  personal  consequences,  it  might 
well  content  humanity  to  let  him  rest ;  but  "  the  evil  that  men  do  lives 
after  them,"  and  his  spirit  yet  survives.  His  hateful  ghost  still  holds 
mischievous  vigils  in  the  midnight  conclaves  of  the  idle,  vicious^ 
poverty-hugging  disciples  of  Anarchism,  Nihilism,  Communism  and 
Socialism,  whose  teachings  have  recently  produced  such  bloody  results 
in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  whose  plottings  are  endangering  the  public 
peace  in  so  many  of  the  populous  cities  of  the  Union. 

The  theory  of  the  possibiHty  of  the  general  accumulation  of  wealth 
without  effort  or  labor,  is  one  of  the  absurdities  of  the  times,  but  hu- 
man ingenuity  has  woven  it  into  an  issue,  and  the  delusion  is  nursed 
by  demagogues  and  is  embraced  by  the  gullible  and  illiterate  classes, 
both  native  and  foreign,  to  the  great  danger  of  the  welfare  of  society  — 
to  the  disparagement  of  honest  industry,  and  to  the  evident  destruction 
of  the  hopes,  advancement  and  happiness  of  the  toiling  masses. 

It  would  be  a  generous  and  kindly  act  if  Henry  George  could 
abolish  poverty,  as  St.  Patrick  is  reported  to  have  banished  snakes 
from  Ireland,  but  it  would  be  more  creditable  for  him  to  ascertain  what 
Poverty  really  is  and  to  define  its  correct  relation  to  individuals. 

There  are  several  kinds,  or  varieties,  of  poverty  :  God's  poverty, 
man's  poverty,  and  the  devil's  poverty;  or,  that  which  is  ordained  of 


f 


O  VERITY.  171 


God,  that  which  is  be^'otten   by  man,  and  tliat  which  originates  with, 
and   is  perpetuated  b)-.  the;  devil. 

First,  Providential  poverty  ("Ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you") — 
from  which  (unless  men  shall  essay,  like  Mr.  Geori^e  and  Dr.  McGlynn. 
tt)  inii)cach  the  veracity  of  Omnipotence)  there  is  no  more  likelihood 
of  escape,  collectively  considered,  than  from  the  effects  of  disease  or 
human  sufferini;'  by  the  overturning',  reversing  or  annulling  of  any  other 
of  God's  laws  or  dispensations.  Poverty  is  an  ordinance,  a  dispens- 
ation, a  condition  (  "  We  brought  nothing  into  this  world,"  etc.)  ; 
still,  it  has  been  ordained  that  the  consequences  of  it  may  be  averted, 
but  only  in  one  way  —  "In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat 
bread."  There  can  be  no  evasions  of  this  fiat,  other  than  in  excep- 
tional cases,  through  the  exercise  of  men's  wits,  or,  in  rarer  instances, 
of  "good  luck,"  etc.  The  prevailing  discontent  is  born  of  a  delusion; 
or.  a  misinterpretation  of  the  latter  part  of  that  famous  clause  of  the 
Jeffersonian  proposition,  that  "All  men  are  created  free  and  equal,"  etc.; 
but  it  is  the  essence  of  that  equality  that  requires  qualification.  That  men 
are  "created  free,"  or  ought  to  be,  is  undeniable;  that  they  arc  created 
equal  in  every,  or  indeed  any,  sense,  is  an  absurdity  —  an  impossibility. 

Another  form  of  wretchedness  is.  Voluntary  poverty  —  which  exists 
by  sufterance,  or,  from  habits  of  indolence  and  ignorance  ;  and  which 
is  equally  indifferent  to  the  uses  of  adversity,  the  necessities,  or  the 
value,  of  money,  and  defies  or  ignores  the  comfort  which  its  possession 
affords. 

And,  thirdly,  Vicious  poverty — that  springs  from  avarice,  prodigality, 
intemperance,  and  the  like.  It  is  this  variety  that  is  responsible  for 
such  a  brood  of  heresies   as  Socialism,  Arnoldism,  Nihilism,  etc. 

If  observation  and  experience  teach  anything  ;  if  the  declarations 
of  Omnipotence  can  be  relied  upon ;  poverty,  in  its  genuine  sense,  is 
inevitable  and  incurable.  And  if  the  first — the  Providential — variety 
cannot  be  eradicated,  because  co-existent  with  existence,  it  may  safely 
be  assumed  that  the  Utopian -George -McGlynn  panacea  cannot  ex- 
tirpate the  two  latter. 

■  But  let  it  be  supposed  that  all  the  money,  or  personal  property,  in 
the  world  were  equally  divided  between  the  inhabitants  of  earth  to-day. 
Taken  at  its  actual  valuation,  there  might  be  the  snug  little  fortune  of 
one  dollar  per  capita !  Would  this  abolish  poverty  ?  Suppose  it 
were  thus  divided,  how  long  would  it  remain  so  ?  The  same  with 
regard  to  land.  Suppose  "twenty  acres  and  a  mule"  were  each  indi- 
vidual's portion.  With  the  before-mentioned  fortune  of  one  dollar, 
the  farm  of  twenty  acres,  and  the  mule  power,  what  could  then  be  done, 
and  how  long  would  the  "divisions"  remain  divided  ?    Who  would  pos- 


172         ■  Anti-Poye  i^t  y  . 

sufficient  capital  to  enable  one  to  begin  or  develop  any  industry ;  or 
from  whom  could  wealth  be  accumulated  ?  Would  all  this  enhance 
human  happiness  ? 

Genuine  poverty  may  be  mitigated,  or  its  conditions  ameliorated, 
by  practical,  charitable  methods.  It  may  be  lessened  or  lightened  by 
labor,  or  effort  —  by  organization  and  education.  It  can  never  be  anni- 
hilated, because  it  does  not  exist  abstractly,  but  always  relatively ;  for 
while  one  may  feel  poor  in  the  possession  of  millions,  another  may  be 
rich  or  happy  if  only  the  owner  of  a  few  dollars,  or  pennies. 

It  has  been  written,  "  Unto  every  one  that  hath,  shall  be  given ;  but 
from  him  that  hath  not,  shall  be  taken,"  etc. ;  but  in  the  Anti-Poverty- 
Society  vernacular  this  is  reversed,  and  the  millennium  will  have  dawned 
upon  the  votaries  of  this  organization  when  there  is  no  more  labor  to 
be  performed,  and  each  individual  upon  the  earth  shall  abide  contentedly 
upon  a  farm  of  twenty  acres  (his  divisional  share),  to  which  he  has  no 
equitable  title ;  the  only  value  of  which  has  been  created  by  the  aggre- 
gated labor  and  wealth  of  those  from  whom  he  filched  it ;  and,  with  his 
capital  of  one  dollar,  which  he  never  earned ;  and  the  mule,  which  he 
"appropriated,"  an  Anti-Poverty-Society  individual's  vision  of  happi- 
ness would  seem  to  be  complete. 

It  is  such  fallacious  reasoning  that  encourages  idleness,  breeds  vice, 
and  incites  the  illiterate  to  criminality  and  open  revolt  against  society 
and  the  laws  and  institutions  of  our  Government. 


In  a  cursory  and  somewhat  disconnected  manner,  due  to  untoward 
circumstances  which  may  make  this  volume  a  conspicuous  exception  to 
others  of  its  class,  the  writer  has  collated  the  facts — old  and  new  — 
which  are  embodied  in  the  foregoing  chapters.  In  anticipation  of  the 
preparations  for  the  observation  of  the  Centennial  anniversary  of  the 
formation  of  the  Government  they  will  serve  a  purpose,  if  they  arouse 
to  any  extent  an  interest  in  the  undertaking,  or  if  they  aid  in  any  man- 
ner in  reviving  or  perpetuating  the  sentiments  and  memories  of  "  '76  !  " 
They  will  at  least  present,  for  reflection,  a  few  of  the  many  strange 
contrasts  in  the  characters  and  actions  of  some  of  those  who  played 
such  prominent  roles  in  the  tragic  drama  of  the  Revolution  —  a  cause 
the  success  of  which,  under  the  circumstances,  by  the  thoughtful,  con- 
scientious reader  of  history,  must  always  be  regarded  as  miraculous. 

"There's  a  divinity  dutii  shaiic  our  ends, 
Rough  hew  them  how  we  will." 


j^ 


E  F  L  E  C  T  I  O  N  S  .  1 73 


An  luit^lishman  (formerly  an  Atheist)  once  saiil  to  the.  writer, 
that  he;  attrilnitcd  his  conxcrsion  to  Christianity  to  the  cartTul  perusal 
of  a  book  which  was  not  the  Bil)le.  When  asked,  What  book? 
he  repHed  :  " 'I  he  Ilistor\'  of  the  Revolt  of  the  American  Colonies 
against  Great  Britain."  He  added,  that,  knowing  what  he  did  of 
English  character  and  traditional  English  prowess  under  all  diffi- 
culties, the  faithful  examination  of  that  work  had  persuaded  him  that  in 
this  instance,  at  least,  there  was  a  direct  interposition  of  Di\ine  power 
in  the  affairs  of  human  government. 

It  will  also  be  conceded  that  history  furnishes  no  rarer  instances  of 
such  heroic,  exalted  qualities  as  were  displayed  by  the  real  actors  who 
won  for  us  the  battles  of  the  Revolution. 

Incited  by  sentiments  the  loftiest  that  humanity  could  conceive  ; 
ingenerate  with  hopes  that  could  not  be  dimmed  by  dismay  nor  dis- 
sipated by  frequent  defeat ;  inspired  with  a  faith  as  sublime,  as  heroic, 
and  almost  as  illimitable  as  infinity  ;  and  being  inflexible  in  purpose ; 
inured  to  hardships  ;  insensible  to  suffering,  and  indifferent  to  danger, 
they  were  prepared  for  whatever  might  betide  them  in  the  part  they  had 
imdertaken  to  perform  —  in  the  maintenance  of  the  proposition  and 
principle  that  "All  men  are  created  free  !  "  Hopes  that  were  fondest, 
ties  that  were  tenderest,  bonds  that  were  strongest,  time  and  fate  w^ere 
ever  weaving  about  them.  Thus  were  they  consecrated  w^holly  —  un- 
equivocally —  to  the  cause  of  human  liberty,  under  the  inspiration  and 
guidance  of  a  Master  "  whose  service  is  perfect  freedom  "  —  who  could 
bid  them  bide  the  pitiless  peltings  of  the  storms  of  years  ;  keeping 
them  as  in  the  limit  of  His  hand  while  leading  them  oft  in  unknown 
and  devious  paths  —  yet  guiding  them  surely  onward  in  the  execution  of 
His  own  purposes ;  ever  drawing  them  nearer  and  binding  them 
firmer  ^ — ^as  with  an  invisible,  indissoluble  chain  —  each  to  the  other  and 
all  unto  Himself 


AUTOGRAPHS 


' — Jr-^i'^"^- 


iz^a^^ 


?/uuo  CkA  I  ^i 


Jdn.Ji^2^  g^^i^. 


174 


^^ 


A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S , 


\ll 


^r'^ti 


^^'^-^^^^ /3  ?-zz^.^^^ 


7 


In  the  National  Institute,  at  Washington,  may  be  seen  the  original  draft  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  which  is  carefully  preserved  in  a  glass  case.  It  was  signed 
by  John  Hancock,  the  President  of  Congress,  upon  the  day  of  its  adoption  by  that  body, 
and  in  that  form  copies  first  went  forth  to  the  world.  Subsequently  it  was  signed  by  the 
other  members  —  fifty-six  in  all.  The  foregoing  is  a  fac-simile  of  that  part  of  the 
original  document  which  contains  the  signatures. 


176 


A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S 


It  was  more  than  eleven  years  after  the  promulgation  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence that  the  first  real,  practical,  form  of  Government  was  conceived,  viz.  :  the 
Federal  Constitution  —  fac-similes  of  the  signatures  to  which  appear  upon  these  two 
pages.  Justice  INIiller,  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  to  whom  reference  has  been  made, 
further  says  :  "In  looking  at  the  names  of  those  who  signed  the  instrument,  our  senti- 
ment of  pious  reverence  for  the  work  of  their  hands  hardly  permits  us  to  discriminate  by 
special  mention  of  any.  But  it  is  surely  not  in  bad  taste  to  mention  that  the  name  of 
George  Washington  is  there  as  its  first  signer  and  President  of  the  Convention."  Then 
follows  his  deserved  tribute  to  the  services  of  Hamilton,  which  is  quoted  upon  page  io8. 


'?ye  ■^^^y, 


( 


'^^<^i^<2>^;H<ji«'^77-v/ 


A  U  T  O  G  F^A  P  H  S  , 


177 


178  A  U  T  O  G  E^A  P  H  S 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

o □ o 


'MONG  the  British  archives  and  in  England's  great  treasure-house 
of  relics,  are  the  original  books,  manuscripts  and  correspondence 
'^  that  contain  the  dates  and  incidents  pertaining  to  the  earlier  his- 
tory of  New  York,  portions  of  which  are  reproduced  in  the  first  four 
chapters  of  this  volume.  Distributed  among  these  dim  documents  and 
almost  hidden  in  the  dust  and  mold  of  centuries,  are  hundreds  of  original 
letters  and  autographs  of  the  noblest  and  the  vilest  of  the  men  and 
women  of  past  ages  —  of  all  countries.  Fac-similes  of  several  appear, 
for  the  first  time,  upon  the  following  pages.  They  are  not  only  objects 
of  curiosity,  but  of  interest,  to  those  who  can  trace  or  read  character  in 
manuscripts  and  autographs.  Prominent  among  them  is  a  letter  con- 
taining this  signature  : 


The  letter  is  dated  at  New  Windsor,  May  9th,  1781,  and  is  ad- 
dressed to  Colonel  Menenville.  In  it,  Washington  promises  to  forward 
an  application  to  Congress  for  a  battery  of  artillery  for  the  defense  of 
Rhode  Island.  The  sprawling,  deliberate,  schoolboy  style,  and  the  fan- 
tastic flourish  across  the  "t"  were  characteristic  of  him.  He  was  not 
a  collegiate,  and  often  expressed  decided  contempt  for  the  rules  of 
grammar.  He  would  throw  capital  letters  into  his  words  without 
regard  to  uniformity,  system,  or  proper  significance.  Those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  graceful,  flowing  style  of  his  Farewell  Address 
should  remember  that  the  patriotic  sentiments  therein  are  Washington's; 
that  the  first  rough  draft  of  it  is  accredited  to  Madison,  and  that  it  was 
ultimately  polished  up  and  further  elaborated  by  Hamilton.  It  is 
related  that  upon  one  occasion  he  issued  an  order  for  an  important  mili- 
tary movement  which  required  to  be  executed  in  great  haste,  and  gave 


/ 


U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S  .  1 79 


it  to  Hamilton  to  deliver;  aftcrwartl  recalled  him,  sayin£^  :  "Colonel,  I 
liave  forgotten  the  pig-tail!"  W'iien  Hamilton  returned  the  ordir,  it  was 
discovered  that  Washington  had  neglected  to  cross  the  "t"  in  his  signa- 
ture ;  which  he  then  did,  and  the  document  was  again  sent  on  its  way. 
He  was  a  model  of  exactness  and  method  —  after  his  peculiar  stjlc. 

Much  testimony  is  now  being  adduced  that  gives  us  a  clearer  in- 
sight into  the  real  life  and  character  of  Washington.  Not  less  than 
three  distinguished  authors  are  engaged  in  writing  as  many  histories 
of  his  life  and  public  career,  with  such  inferences  as  may  be  fairly 
drawn  from  his  private  and  public  correspondence  and  the  diary  which 
he  kept  from  the  entrance  to  the  close  of  his  public  services.  These 
reveal  much  that  historians  have  omitted  to  chronicle  and  substantiate 
traditions  from  which  men  may  conclude  that  he  was  in  reality  human, 
possessing  passions,  weaknesses  and  vanities  common  to  mankind. 
The  solemn  historian  of  the  past  would  be  shocked  to  learn  that 
^'George"  was  a  joker  of  no  mean  distinction,  and  that,  like  Lincoln, 
he  could  laugh  and  tell  stories,  notwithstanding  the  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities that  so  frequently  depressed  him.  The  "  Prohibitionist  from 
principle"  wnll  also  be  disgusted  to  learn  that  he  made  two  grades  of 
whiskey  and  enjoyed  a  wide  renown  as  a  distiller  and  dealer  in  fer- 
mented grain.  In  17S6  he  wrote  to  Lafayette,  sending  him  a  barrel  of 
Virginia  hams,  and  concludes  by  expressing  his  regrets  that  the  lat- 
ter did  not  receive  the  "  anker  of  old  peach  brandy,"  adding,  that  he 
would  send  some  which  he  had  recently  made  on  the  plantation,  only 
that  it  "would  not  do  credit  to  the  distiller,"  but  "  would  be  better 
furniture  for  your  canteen  on  a  wet  march  than  for  your  table  in  Paris." 

In  the  matter  of  dress  he  was  very  particuliar,  but  never  aped  the 
"dude,"  nor  "slouch."  He  always  insisted  upon  a  "  perfect  fit."  He 
could  not  wear  a  hat,  nor  trousers,  nor  waistcoat,  unless  they  were  made 
in  England.  Upon  an  occasion,  when  writing  to  his  English  tailor, 
Charles  Lawrence,  he  complained  because  his  clothes  did  not  hang 
gracefully.  He  wrote  :  "  W^hether  it  be  the  fault  of  the  tailor  or  the 
measure  I  cannot  say,  but  certain  it  is  that  my  clothes  have  never  fitted 
well."  When  ordering  a  hat  he  wrote  :  "I  do  not  by  any  means  w'ish 
to  be  in  the  extreme  of  the  fashion,  either  in  the  size,  or  the  cocking 
of  it."  He  was  proud  of  the  shape  of  his  feet  and  hands,  and  though 
he  did  not  possess  the  knowledge  of  the  present  state  of  the  art  of  the 
manicure,  he  spent  much  time  in  trimming  and  polishing  his  finger 
nails.  A  Continental  saddle,  which,  being  "Continental,"  he  accepted 
with  some  distrust,  was  finally  condemned  by  him  as  not  being  suffi- 
ciently genteel,  and  he  wrote  to  a  friend  in  England  :  "  Please  send  me  a 
very  neat  and  fashionable  Newmarket  saddle,  and  I  must  also  have  a 


180 


A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S 


fine  riding  dress."  It  is  alleged  that  he  actually  chewed  tobacco! 
However  this  may  be,  he  was  an  extensive  producer  and  exporter  of 
the  weed.  The  Anti-tobacconists,  like  the  Prohibitionists,  may  now 
stand  aghast  at  such  shocking  evidences  of  depravity  (?)  as  time  is  re- 
vealing in  the  real  life  history  of  the  Father  of  their  Country. 

During  the  war  (1779)  he  suddenly  formed  an  aversion  to  tin  dishes, 
and  wrote  :  "  My  plates  and  dishes,  once  of  tin,  now  of  iron,  are  rather 
too  much  worn  for  delicate  stomachs  ;  I,  therefore,  desire  that  you  will 
send  me  a  set  of  Oueen's  china  if  to  be  had ;  and  don't  forcjet  six  toler- 
ably  genteel,  but  not  expensive,  candlesticks,  all  of  a  kind,  and  three 
pairs  of  snuffers  to  match  !  " 

He  was  a  born  and  thorough-bred  aristocrat,  and  was  believed  to  be 
the  wealthiest  patriot  of  the  Revolution.  His  property  at  the  time  of  his 
death  w-as  estimated  at  nearly  a  half  million,  though  much  of  it  accu- 
mulated after  the  close  of  the  war.  His  wife  possessed  a  fortune  of 
about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  he  inherited  nearly  as  much 
more.  He  was  a  great  reader,  and  owned  a  library  containing  over 
i,5oo  books.  His  library  was  embellished  with  pictures  and  paintings 
of  great  variety.  Many  of  them  were  rare  and  valuable.  An  inven- 
tory taken  at  the  time  of  his  death  showed  that  one  hundred  and  nine- 
teen of  these  pictures  were  hanging  upon  the  walls  of  his  study. 

He  was  methodical  almost  to  "fussiness."  He  kept  an  account  of 
personal  expenses  during  the  war,  including  outlays  for  secret  services, 
which  amounted  to  seventy-four  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty-five 
dollars.  He  exhibited  a  memorandum  or  voucher  for  every  item  and 
transaction  durinsf  the  time,  and  his  accounts  were  audited  without  the 
least  difficulty. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Government,  messages  were  delivered  in 
person,  and  Washington  rode  in  great  style  to  the  Capitol  in  a  coach 
drawn  by  four  horses,  with  servants  in  red  livery.  He  wore  a  three- 
cornered  hat,  and  knee  breeches,  and  at  his  side  dangled  a  sword.  He 
became  so  unpopular  that  when  he  retired  from  the  Presidency,  Con- 
gress refused  to  pass  resolutions  of  compliment  to  him,  and  Giles,  of 
Virginia,  announced  in  the  House  that,  "the  sooner  he  took  himself 
away  the  better."  Old  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoake,  before  the  term 
of  Washington's  office  had  expired,  was  at  a  public  dinner  at  which 
several  Congressmen  were  present,  and  when  called  upon  for  a  toast, 

responded:    "George  Washington  —  may  he  be  d d!"    when  an 

outburst  of  surprise  followed,  and  he  added  :  "  Unless  he  signs  the  Jay 
treaty." 

Washington  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  games  of  chance  —  he  had 
"faith  in  odd  numbers;"  consequently,  he  wrote  to  the  Quartermaster  at 


/ 


U  T  O  G  P^A  P  H  S  .  181 


Philadelphia  :  "  Please  to  examine  if  any  of  ihr.  inclosed  lottery  tickets 
liave  come  up  pii/cs,  ami  if  anything  is  to  he  made  of  thcni  be  so 
obliging  as  to  do  it  for  me."  In  theory,  Washington  was  a  high-tarifl 
protectionist,  but  in  practice  he  was  a  trifle  inconsistent,  which  is  only 
accounted  for  upon  the  ground  of  his  vanity. 

This  was  the  Jiuvian  Washington,  and  these  are  some  of  the  little 
eccentricities  which  bring  him  down  from  that  lofty,  mysterious,  historic 
pedestal  to  the  level  of  humanit)-,  where  we  can  think  of  him  and  see 
him,  and  know  and  appreciate  him. 


Beside  the  letter  of  Washington  is  one  written  by  Napoleon  I.  It 
is  addressed  to  (Jean  Baptiste)  Jourdan,  Marshal  of  P"rance,  directing 
him  to  select  a  certain  number  of  men  to  receive  the  decoration  of  the 
"  Legion  of  Honor."  It  is  written  in  French,  and  dated  Bologna,  June 
2ist,  i8o5. 


/^C<J-l...j-d^ 


It  shows  a  rapid,  nervous  style,  very  unlike  that  of  Washington 
and  could  have  been  executed  in  less  time  than  Washington  required  to 
cross  his  "t."  Napoleon  was  born  at  Corsica,  August  i5,  1767,  and 
died  at  St.  Helena,  May  25,  1821.  The  early  period  of  his  life  was 
adventurous.  His  sympathies,  naturally,  were  democratic.  His  military 
successes  and  reverses  were  as  sudden  as  they  were  remarkble.  In 
1793  he  captured  the  city  of  Toulon,  which  was  the  commencement 
of  his  distinguished  career.  When  Robespierre  fell  he  was  arrested 
as  a  sympathizer  with  that  leader. 

He  next  appears  at  the  head  of  the  Army  in  Italy,  where  he  won  a 
series  of  battles  which  raised  him  to  such  prominence  that  he  was 
crowned  by  the  Pope  at  the  Altar  of  Notre  Dame  as  "  The  Great 
Napoleon,  the  Emperor  of  the  French."  A  year  afterward  he  fought  at 
Austerlitz,  which  was  evidently  one  of  his  greatest  battles.  But  dis- 
asters came  as  to  all  men,  and  in  18 14  he  was  compelled  to  abdicate 
and  was  banished  to  the  island  of  Elba.  In  less  than  a  year  following 
he  appeared  at  the  head  of  his  Old  Guard  and  made  a  triumphant  entry 
into  Paris.    Then  he  went  out  again  to  battle  —  and  to  Waterloo.     This 


182 


A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S 


terrible  defeat  compelled  him  again  to  abdicate  the  throne,  when  the 
French  Legislature  ordered  him  to  flee  to  the  United  States.  Instead 
of  doing  so,  he  surrendered  voluntarily  to  the  British,  and  was  by  that 
Government  consigned  to  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  where  he  died  about 
six  years  afterward.  Twenty  years  later  Louis  Philippe  caused  his 
remains  to  be  removed  to  France,  where  they  now  repose  in  the  Hotel 
des  Invalides — one  of  the  most  gorgeous  mausoleums  upon  either 
continent.  It  is  in  strange  contrast  with  the  simple  surroundings  of  the 
tomb  of  Washington. 


The  above  autograph  is  appended  to  a  letter  written  by  King 
George  I,  and  addressed  to  the  Emperor  Charles  VI,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  sending  Abraham  Stanian  as  Ambassador  to  Constantinople. 
It  is  dated  at  Hampton  Court,  October  17,  1717.  This  was  the  first 
Sovereign  of  the  Hanoverian  line.  He  was  born  at  Osnaburg,  May 
28,  1660,  and  died  June  10,  1727.     He  was  crowned  October  20,  17 14. 


'>'h 


The  letter  from  which  this  signature  is  taken  was  written  by  King 
George  II  to  Maria  Theresa,  Queen  of  Hungary,  Sub-Empress  of 
Germany,  acknowledging  satisfaction  at  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Det- 
tingen.  It  is  dated,  Hannan  (in  Hesse  Cassel),  July  18,  1743.  He  was 
the  son  of  George  I,  and  born  in  Hanover,  October  30,  1683,  dying 
at  Kensington  Palace,  October  25,  1760,  In  1706  he  was  made  a  Peer 
of  England,  with  title  of  Duke  of  Cambridge.  In  17  14  he  took  the 
title  of  Prince  of  Wales.  He  was  a  man  of  ordinary  capacity,  and  the 
former  part  of  his  reign  was  unpopular  and  disastrous,  but  the  latter 
part  was  the  reverse,  and  he  died  at  the  3ge  of  77,  much  regretted. 


A  U  T  O  G  f\A  P  H  S  .  183 

This  is  taken  from  his  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax,  informing  him 
■of  his  recovery  from  a  severe  illness;  dated  London,  March  7,  1647. 
CroniAvell,  the  "  Lord  Protector  of  the  English  Commonwealth,"  was 
born  at  Huntington,  April  26,  iSqq,  and  died  at  the  palace  of  White- 
hall, September  3,  i658.  This  remarkable  man's  social  position  is  des- 
cribed by  himself  thus:  "  I  was  by  birth  a  gentleman;  neither  living  in 
any  considerable  height,  nor  yet  in  obscurity." 

His  history  is  a  familiar  and  a  singular  one.  When  in  Sussex  Col- 
lege, Sidney,  in  16 16,  he  was  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  most  dissipated 
in  the  institution.  But  after  several  years'  plentiful  sowing  of  wild  oats, 
he  suddenly  married  and  was  as  suddenly  converted  to  Puritanism,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  active  of  exhorters  and  proselyters. 

In  1640  he  was  elected  to  Parliament ;  and  when  war  was  declared, 
he  took  the  field  and  took  his  Puritanism  with  him,  and  prayed  and 
fought  simultaneously  and  alternately,  in  and  out  of  season.  His 
activity  was  the  cause  of  his  promotion  to  Colonel  upon  the  staff  of  the 
Earl  of  Essex.  His  bold  course  in  connection  with  the  administration 
of  the  Government  is  well  known.  He  died  in  i658.  The  body  was 
interred  privately  in  the  chapel  of  Henry  VII,  and  two  months  later 
a  gorgeous  funeral  ceremony  took  place.  After  the  Restoration  his 
remains  were  disinterred  and  gibbeted  at  Tyburn  ;  then  re-interred  be- 
neath the  gallows ;  the  head,  being  dissevered,  was  placed  on  exhibi- 
tion for  several  days  at  Westminster  Hall. 


From  the  letter  of  Henry  IV,  King  of  France,  addressed  to  Advo- 
cate-General Maryan,  relative  to  the  collection  of  certain  fines,  etc.; 
dated  from  the  Louvre,  March  10,  i6o5.  He  was  the  first  French 
King  of  the  House  of  Bourbon.  He  was  born  December  14,  i553, 
and  was  assassinated  in  Paris,  May  14,  16 10,  by  the  hand  of  the  fanati- 
cal Francais  Ravaillae.  He  was  reared  a  Protestant,  and,  by  his  mar- 
riage to  the  sister  of  Kine  Charles  IX,  it  was  believed  a  reconciliation 
would  be  effected  between  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  parties,  who 


184  A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S  , 

were  quarreling  for  the  possession  of  the  Government.  His  marriage 
was  the  cause  of  the  bitter  feelin^  which  resulted  in  the  Huguenot 
Massacre,  known  as  St.  Bartholemew.  He  made  his  escape  from  the 
French  Court  and  took  command  of  the  Protestant  troops,  and  was 
finally  crowned  at  Chartres,  February  17,  1594.  His  famous  "  Edict  of 
Nantes"  restored  peace  to  France,  and  his  reign  was  a  prosperous  one. 
His  tragic  death  was  universally  regarded  as  a  national  calamity. 


From  the  letter  of  Louis  XIV,  King  of  France,  addressed  to  the 
Queen  of  England,  (dated  Versailles,  September  10,  1682,)  acknowl- 
edging the  receipt  of  her  congratulations  on  the  birth  of  his  grandson, 
the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  This  King  was  the  eldest  son  of  Louis  XIII 
and  Anne  of  Austria,  and  was  given  the  appellation  of  Dicu  donne 
(God-given)  his  mother  having  remained  childless  for  twenty-two 
years,  during  most  of  which  time  she  had  been  an  object  of  aversion 
to  her  husband.  A  temporary  reconciliation  was  effected  in  1637,  and 
the  following  year  Louis  was  born.  His  education  was  limited  ;  he 
was  of  a  vain,  egotistical  nature,  but  possessed  much  courage  and  dis- 
played unusual  judgment  in  administering  the  business  affairs  of  the 
country.  His  later  years  were  devoted  to  charities,  and  he  became  an 
enthusiast  in  religion  a  short  time  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  Versailles,  September  i,  17 15. 


-Zc- — 

The  above   is  the  concluding  portion  of  a  letter  written  by  Mary 
Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots,  to  (Wm.  Cecil — Lord  Burghley)  the    Lord 


A  U  T  O  G  I\A  P  H  S  .  186 

Treasurer,  beseeching  liiin,  on  account  of  hvr  long  imprisonment,  to 
intercede  with  Queen  Elizabeth  for  her  release.  The  whole  is  couched 
in  most  endearing  terms,  as  its  concluding  sentences  indicate.  It  is 
written  in  TVench  and  dated  at  Sheffield,  York  County,  November  21, 
I  579.  She  was  born  in  the  palace  of  Linlithgow,  December,  1 642,  and 
beheaded  at  Fotheringay  Castle,  Northamptonshire,  England,  February 
8,  1 587.  She  was  crowned  at  Stirling,  September  9,  1543.  Much 
speculation  has  been  indulged  in  concerning  the  guilt  or  innocence  of 
this  unfortunate  Queen.  She  was  openly  charged  with  some  of  the 
most  atrocious  crimes,  and  though  they  have  never  been  proved  they 
have  never  been  refuted.  She  denied  upon  the  scaffold  any  complicity 
in  the  conspiracies  against  the  life  of  Elizabeth  or  against  the  life  of  her 
worthless  husband,  and  she  may  have  been  the  victim  and  tool  of  such 
men  as  Bothwell,  Rizzio  and  Chastelard,  but  time  and  the  most  careful 
scrutinizing  of  her  deeds  have  failed  to  convince  the  world  that  she  was 
a  saint.  She  possessed  in  a  striking  degree  that  fatal  gift  of  personal 
beauty  which  was  so  largely  responsible  for  the  sorrows  as  well  as  the 
successes  of  her  eventful  life. 


From  the  letter  of  William  Penn  to  Sir  Robert  Southwell  (Clerk 
of  the  Privy  Council),  regretting  his  inability  to  perform  a  certain  del- 
icate service  for  a  friend;  dated  Walthamstow  (in  Essex),  March  11, 
1676.  Penn  was  born  in  London,  October  13,  1644,  and  died  at  Rus- 
combe,  Berkshire,  July  30,  17 18.  He  was  an  English  Quaker  and  a 
religious  enthusiast.  He  was  an  ancestor  of  William  Penn  of  Revolu- 
tionary note. 


From  the  letter  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,  addressed  to  his  half  brother 
(Sir  John  Gilbert),  directing  that  "The  bread  to  be  furnished  for  the 


18G  -  A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S  . 

voyaging  adventurers  should  be  in  readiness  at  once  ;  "  dated  "  From 
The  Court,  May  25,  i586."  He  was  born  at  Hayes,  Devonshire,  i552, 
and  was  beheaded  at  the  old  palace  yard,  Westminster,  October  29,  161 8. 
Was  graduated  at  Oriel  College,  Oxford,  at. the  age  of  sixteen.  He 
fought  under  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and,  later,  was  sent  by  Queen 
Elizabeth  to  aid  the  Huguenots  in  France.  He  also  served  under  Ad- 
miral Colign  for  five  years,  achieving  much  distinction. 


^:^ 


Cf-y^c.^  -UJ 


Sir  Francis  Bacon's  letter,  as  Attorney  General,  to  James  I,  com- 
menting on  the  arguments  in  the  Star  Chamber  during  the  trial  of 
(Oliver)  St.  John.  It  was  written  in  161 5.  He  was  born  in  the  Strand, 
London,  January  22,  i56i,  and  died  at  Highgate,  April  9,  1626.  At 
the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  sent  to  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  where 
he  studied  laboriously  and  graduated  with  the  highest  honors.  In 
1 582  he  was  called  to  the  bar;  in  i586  was  made  a  Judge.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-eight  he  was  made  "Counsel  Extraordinary  to  the 
Queen" — an  honor,  his  biographer  states,  hardly  known  before.  He 
appears  to  have  been  a  strange  compound  of  contradictions  —  of  intelli- 
gence and  stupidity,  of  goodness  and  baseness. 


Little  remains  of  this  letter  but  the  signature,  which  seems  to  have 
been  written  with  another  kind  of  ink.  Sir  Christopher  Wren  was 
born  in  East  Knoyle,  Wiltshire,  October  20,  1632,  and  died  February 
25,  1723.  He  was  the  architect  of  St.  Pauls,  and  in  the  crypt  of  this 
magnificent  structure  he  is  buried.  Upon  his  sarcophagus  is  the  in- 
scription :  "  If  you  would  see  my  monument  look  around  you."  He 
was  the  designer  of  fifty  churches  in  the  city  of  London,  twenty  of 
which  were  built  to  replace  those  destroyed  in  the  great  conflagration. 
He  also  made  many  designs  for  the  improvements  of  Westminster 
Abbey.  His  tomb,  next  to  that  of  Lord  Nelson,  is  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  in  the  crypt  of  St.  Pauls. 


A  U  T  O  G  F^A  P  H  S  .  187 

Sijrnature  from  the  letter  of  Cardinal  Thomas  Wolsey,  a  most  dis- 
tinguished English  prelate  and  statesman,  born  in  Ipswich,  in  1471. 
This  letter  is  addressed  to  Thomas  Cromwell,  sub-Earl  of  Essex,  in- 
forming him  that  Richmond  Lodge  was  not  yet  ready  for  his  (Wolsey's) 
reception.  No  date  is  given,  but  it  was  probably  written  about  1530. 
He  was  appointed  Chaplain  to  Henry  VII,  and  Almoner  of  Henry  VIII. 
In  1 5 14  he  was  made  Archbishop  of  York  ;  in  i5i5  created  Chancellor 
of  England.  To  him  is  attributed  the  first  suggestion  of  a  divorce  be- 
tween  the  King  and  Catherine  of  Aragon.  His  downfall  from  power 
is  attributed  to  Anna  Roleyn.  On  November  4.  1530,  he  was  arrested 
on  a  charge  of  high  treason.  While  being  conveyed  to  London  for 
trial,  he  died  at  the  Monastery  of  Leicester,  November  29,  1530. 


From  a  letter  of  John  Locke  to  Monsieur  Toynard,  thanking  him 
for  kindness  in  introducing  him  to  several  persons  from  whom  he  had 
received  many  evidences  of  courtesy,  etc.;  dated  Orleans.  July  14,  1678; 
written  in  French.  Locke  was  born  in  Somerset,  England,  August  29, 
1632.  He  did  not  attain  much  literary  distinction  until  past  fifty  years 
of  age.  His  essay  upon  "The  Human  Understanding"  was  published 
in  1690,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  his  best  writings.  He  died  at  Oates, 
October  28,  1704. 


yC2^;?tr^'^/ 


£JL^£=> 


From  the  letter  (in  Italian)  of  Sir  Peter  Paul  Rubens  to  Palamede 
Fabri  Sieur  de  Valares,  relative  to  the  failure  of  the  Duke  of  Buck- 
ingham, at  the  Isle  of  Rhe  ;  dated  at  Anaverp,  December  16,  1627. 
Rubens  was  born  at  Lirzen,  Westphalia,  June  29,  1577.     He  was  one 


188  A:  UTOGR^AP  HS  , 

of  the  most  eminent  representatives  of  the  Flemish  School  of  Art. 
Those  who  have  visited  the  old  Cathedral  at  Antwerp  will  recollect  two 
of  his  massive  and  most  celebrated  paintings  which  are  suspended  upon 
each  side  of  the  altar,  viz. :  the  "  Elevation  of  the  Cross "  and  the 
"Descent  from  the  Cross."  The  latter  was  executed  in  1614,  and  the 
strong,  bright  colorings  are  as  striking  and  effective,  seemingly,  as  when 
he  placed  them  there,  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  years  ago.  His 
works  may  be  found  in  nearly  all  the  principal  galleries  in  Europe. 
"The  Blessings  of  Peace,"  now  in  the  National  Gallery  at  London,  is, 
perhaps,  the  finest  specimen  of  his  art  in  England.  "The  Martyrdom 
of  St.  Peter,"  "The  Judgment  of  Paris,"  and  the  "The  Adoration  of 
the  Magi,"  are  also  justly  celebrated.     He  died  May  30,  1640. 


^^  [u^^^^L^^L   'V-lr-  OL^-ut  C^h 


"^^Hr- 


From  the  letter  (in  Dutch)  of  Paul  Rembrandt  to  Constantine 
Huggens,  estimating  the  cost  of  a  picture,  for  the  Prince  of  Orange,  at 
two  hundred  pounds  sterling.  Not  dated,  but  written  about  the  year 
1638.  He  was  born  near  Leyden,  June  i5,  1606,  and  died  in  Amster- 
dam, October  8,  1667.  Nearly  seven  hundred  of  his  paintings  are  still 
extant.  Among  the  most  famous  are:  "Christ  Healing  the  Sick," 
"The  Night  Watch,"  "The  Sacrifice  of  Abraham,"  and  "Moses  Des- 
troying the  Tables  of  the  Law."  ■ 


*Ciy^'\^K^\    Qol-X-T/oCcz-X^ 


From  the  letter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  to  Warren  Hastings 
(Governor  General  of  Bengal),  introducing  Mr.  Chambers,  and  reflect- 
ing upon  Hastings'  opportunities  of  promoting  the  study  of  the  history 
and  antiquities  of  India;  dated  March  30,  1774.  "Dear  old  Sam  John- 
son" (as  the  English  delight  in  calling  him),  was  born  in  Lichfield, 
September  18,  1709,  In  1747  he  began  the  compilation  of  a  dictionary 
of  the  English  language,  which  occupied  his  undivided  time  for  seven 
years.  He  was  a  famous  essayist  and  poet,  as  well  as  lexicographer. 
His  death  occurred  in  London,  December  13,  1784- 


A  U  T  O  G  P^^A  P  H  S  .  189 

Letter  to  General  Peachy  on  the  "pestilent  question  of  Catholic 
Emancipation,"  recommending  "White's  Practical  and  Internal  Evi- 
dence against  Catholicity;"  dated  Keswick,  May  25,  1825.  Southey 
was  born  in  Bristol,  August  12,  1774,  and  was  one  of  the  most  versa- 
tile of  English  authors.  Macaulay  writes  :  "  His  'Life  of  Nelson'  is  one 
of  the  most  perfect  and  delightful  of  all  his  works."  He  died  at  Gretna 
Hall,  near  Keswick,  March  21,  1843. 


p^^^.^-P 


^-^KJ 


From  a  letter  addressed  to  Hon.  Charles  Montague  (sub-Earl  of 
Halifax ),  apologizing  for  not  sending  him  a  copy  of  his  "  Political 
Epistles  "  and  asking  for  some  encouragement  to  enable  him  to  con- 
tinue the  translation  of  Homer.  No  date,  but  written  about  1699.  The 
date  of  his  birth  was  August  9,  1 63 1 ,  in  the  parish  of  All  Saints,  North- 
amptonshire. His  death  occurred  May  i,  1700.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  poets  of  his  time,  and  during  the  reign  of  Charles  II 
was  known  as  the  "  Poet  Laureate."  He  was  the  author  of  twenty- 
seven  plays,  but  none  have  achieved  great  distinction.  As  a  translator 
he  was  famous.  His  last  great  work  was  "  The  Adaptations  of 
Chaucer."  He  was  buried  in  a  tomb  adjoining  that  of  Chaucer  in 
Westminster  Abbey. 


-Jfc 


C't^^'^S, 


From  the  letter  (in  Latin)  of  Martin  Luther  to  Georgius  Spalatinus, 
quoting  several  texts  in  favor  of  the  existence  of  purgatory,  and  as- 
serting that  a  disbelief  in  this  doctrine  is  no  proof  of  heresy.  It  is 
dated   Wittenberg,   November,   7,    i5i9.     Signed   as    Martin    Luther 


190  A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S  . 

( Augustanus).  This  rough,  and  rugged,  religious  reformer  was  born 
at  Eiselben,  in  Saxony,  on  St.  Martin's  Eve,  November  lo,  1483.  His 
father  was  a  miner — uncultivated,  but  industrious,  and  his  mother  was 
of  a  strong  rehgious  nature.  As  a  boy  he  was  obstinate,  and  at  school 
a  difficult  one  to  manage.  His  biographer  states  that  his  teacher 
flogged  him  fifteen  times  in  one  day.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  he 
ever  "flogged"  the  spirit  of  independence  and  defiance  out  of  him,  as 
his  subsequent  attitude  and  memorable  utterances  at  Worms,  and  else- 
where, disclose.  Between  the  years  i52i  and  i530  he  made  a  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible,  and  during  the  following  ten  years  wrote  hundreds 
of  hymns,  sermons  and  essays  upon  the  subject  which  was  ever  upper- 
most in  his  heart  and  for  which  he  labored  assiduously  until  his  death, 
February  18,  1546. 


From  a  letter  written  to  the  publishers  of  some  of  his  works ;  dated 
Dublin,  February  9,  1764.  Dublin  was  the  city  of  his  birth,  but  the 
date  is  unknown.  It  was  some  time  during  the  year  1729.  His  name 
is  one  of  the  most  famous  in  English  political  history.  He  was  the  chief 
leader  of  the  Whig  party ;  and  the  conversion  of  Charles  Fox  to  this 
party  is  said  to  have  been  due  to  his  influence.  He  was  the  conspicuous 
and  strong  friend  of  the  American  Colonists  during  the  Revolution,  and 
announced  in  Parliament  that  it  was  unwise,  and  would  prove  disastrous, 
to  make  any  further  attempts  to  crush  or  to  govern  the  Colonies  by 
military  force.  The  greatest  effort  of  his  life  was  the  impeachment  of 
Warren  Hastings  for  misdemeanors  in  the  government  of  India.  His 
death  occurred  July  8,  1797. 


Signature  to  a  letter  of  Thomas  Cranmer,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, written  to   Lord  Cobham,  relative  to  a  cause  in  the  Court  of 


A  U  T  O  G  F^A  P  H  S  .  191 

Arches;  dated  "Near  Canterbury,  April  i8,  i545."  I  Ic  was  born  in 
Nottinghamshire,  July  2,  1489.  His  introduction  to  pulflic  notoriety 
was  in  connection  with  the  proceedings  through  which  Henry  VIII 
was  declared  divorced  from  Catherine  of  Aragon.  He  was  cons('crated 
Bishop  of  Canterbury  in  March,  1533,  On  the  23d  of  May  following 
he  declared  the  marriage  of  Catherine  null  and  void.  In  June,  Anna 
Boleyn  was  crowned.  After  this,  Cranmer  took  an  active  part  in  pro- 
motinof  measures  which  led  to  the  breach  between  Rome  and  I'Lngland. 
His  name  is  also  connected  with  Cromwell's  as  one  of  those  by  whose 
agency  the  Reformation  was  effected.  He  was  the  chief  author  of  the 
Prayer  Book  used  by  Edward  VI  and  adopted  by  the  Church.  When 
Mary  acceded  to  power,  Cranmer  was  excommunicated  (February  14, 
1 556).  After  this  he  made  a  cowardly  recantation,  which  he  subse- 
quently repudiated,  and  upon  the  same  day  (March  2,  i556)  he  was 
burned  at  the  stake. 


From  the  letter  (in  Italian)  of  Galileo  Galilei  to  his  brother,  press- 
ing him  for  the  money  due  as  the  dowry  of  their  sister  Livia,  on  her 
marriage;  dated  Padua,  November  20,  1601.  Galileo  (as  he  was  known 
by  his  first  name)  was  born  in  Pisa,  February  i5,  1564.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  philosophers  and  mathematicians  of 
those  days.  He  was  very  proficient  in  music,  drawing  and  painting. 
His  residence  in  Florence  is  still  preserved  and  is  an  object  of  great 
interest  to  visitors  ;  also  the  tower,  upon  the  hill  a  short  distance  from 
the  city,  where  his  great  telescope  was  erected.  In  the  main  room  of 
the  tower  hangs  his  portrait,  executed  by  himself,  which  has  become 
almost  indistinct  from  age  and  exposure.  Many  of  his  tools  and  manu- 
scripts are  still  exhibited.  He  possessed  a  remarkable  ingenuity  and 
skill  in  the  use  of  tools.  He  constructed  several  useful  machines  for 
the  use  of  the  Government,  and,  in  iSg/,  made  a  thermometer  in  which 
air  and  water  were  employed.  In  1609  he  constructed  the  first  tele- 
scope, which  he  exhibited  at  Venice  and  presented  to  the  Italian  Senate, 
which  conferred  upon  him  a  life  professorship.  Soon  afterward  he  built 
an  immense  telescope  and  began  the  announcement,  of  his  discoveries 
in  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  which  brought  him  under  the 
ban  of  the  Roman  Church.     He  announced  to  the  authorities  that,  if 


192  A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S  . 

knowledge  was  heresy,  he  was  a  fit  subject  for  discipline.  His  case 
came  before  the  Holy  Office,  in  February,  1616,  when  he  was  charged 
with  teaching  that  "the  sun  was  the  center  of  the  planetary  system, 
and  of  interpreting  scripture  to  support  his  own  theories."  He  was 
enjoined  never  again  to  teach  the  theory  of  the  motion  of  the  earth 
or  the  stability  of  the  sun,  either  by  writing  or  speech.  In  1632, 
however,  he  published  a  book  which  was  regarded  a  violation  of  the 
injunction.  He  was  ordered  to  appear  at  Rome,  where  he  was  tried 
and  condemned  to  imprisonment,  and  compelled  to  recite,  once  a  week, 
for  three  years,  the  seven  penitential  psalms.  He  was  finally  released, 
but  was  kept  under  surveillance  as  long  as  he  lived,  dying  in  Arcetri, 
January  8,  1642. 


Francis  Marie  Aronet  de  Voltaire.  The  letter  from  which  the  above 
signature  is  taken  was  written  by  him  to  the  resident  of  a  foreign 
Court,  enclosing  a  memoir  and  repudiating  the  authorship  of  a  newly- 
published  work.  It  is  written  in  French  ;  dated  Colmar  (in  Alsace), 
March  3,  1754.  This  brilliant  philosopher,  author,  poet,  wit,  and 
notorious  infidel,  was  born  in  Paris,  February  20,  1695.  He  began  the 
composition  of  essays  in  his  twelfth  year,  and  more  than  sixty  years  of 
his  existence  were  devoted  to  waging  a  relentless  war  upon  the  estab- 
lished forms  and  beliefs  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  was  probably  the 
most  talented  writer  of  that  century,  and  his  writien  opinions  have 
exercised  a  tremendous  influence  upon  the  minds  of  the  independent 
thinkers  of  modern  times.  He  was  twice  imprisoned  in  the  old  Bastile 
for  heresy,  and  there  composed  several  of  his  best-known  essays,  and 
in  the  very  Sanctuary  of  Roman  Catholicism,  the  mortal,  mutilated 
remains  of  the  old  infidel  are  now  reposing!  It  will  seem,  to  many,  a 
strange  inconsistency  that  a  Church  which  refuses  burial  to  a  Protest- 
ant, professing  Christianity,  opens  its  doors  to  receive,  and  offers  a 
solemn  mass  over,  the  ashes  of  Infidel  Voltaire.  His  tomb  is  in  the 
grand  old  Pantheon  (or,  Church  of  St.  Genevieve),  in  Paris,  and  is  the 
first  that  attracts  the  attention  of  the  visitor  as  he  descends  into  the 
crypt  of  that  beautiful  structure,  which  was  commenced  in  1764,  cost 
over  thirty  millions  of  francs,  and  was  completed  under  the  auspices  of 
a  lottery.  Voltaire's  body  was  at  one  time  stolen  from  the  tomb  and 
portions  scattered  to  the  winds ;   but  his  heart,  which  was  interred  in 


A  U  T  O  G  I^A  P  H  S  .  I'jy 

another  place,  was  exhumed  and  deposited  (where  the  body  had  ])een 
entombed)  where  it  now  rests  —  beneath  a  beautiful  statue  of  the 
great  deist,  who  died  May  30,  i77<S. 

Near  the  tomb  of  Voltaire  the  bodies  of  Marat  and  Mirabeau  were 
also  interred,  but  they  were  alterward  ordered  to  be  removed,  and  the 
remains  of  Marat  were  thrown  into  the  sewer  in  the  Rue  Montmartrc. 


^ 
^^^t.^^^  ^  /      /f^^ 


The  above  fac-simile  of  a  letter,  written  by  Lord  Byron  in  his  nine- 
teenth year,  was  addressed  to  the  editor  of  a  magazine  and  explains 
itself.  It  was  written  while  at  college  in  Cambridge,  and  the  manu- 
script  accompanying  it,  executed  by  the  same  hand,  contained  about 
a  dozen  stanzas  —  the  four  last  of  which  appear  upon  the  next  page. 


194 


A  U  T  O  G  R^A  P  H  S 


The  following  signature,  which  extends  entirely  across  the  sheet, 
is  attached  to  the  poem : 


There  is  a  lip  which  mine  has  prest, 

But  none  had  ever  prest  before, 
It  vowed  to  make  me  sweetly  blest 

That  mine  alone  should  press  it  more. 

There  is  a  bosom  all  my  own 

Has  pillowed  oft  this  aching  head  ; 

A  mouth  that  smiles  on  me  alone; 

An  eye  whose  tears  with  mine  are  shed. 

There  are  two  hearts  whose  movements  thrill 

In  unison  so  closely  sweet 
That — pulse  to  pulse  responsive  still — 

They  both  must  heave  or  cease  to  beat. 

There  are  two  souls  whose  equal  flow 

In  gentle  stream  so  calmly  run 
That  when  they  part  —    They  part  1     Oh,  no  !  ! 

They  cannot  part ;  those  souls  are  one. 


Lord   Byron  was   born  in  London,  January   22,  1788,  and  died  at 
Missoloughi,  Greece,  April  19,  1824. 


Beside  the  above  is  a  letter  written  on  the  eve  of  the  Battle  of  Trafal- 
gar (September  21,  i8o5),  by  one  of  the  greatest  heroes  in  the  naval 
annals  of  England —  Lord  Horatio  Nelson.  It  was  addressed  to  Lady 
Hamilton,  his  sister,  and  was  found  upon  the  floor  of  his  cabin,  in  the 
flag-ship,  a  few  hours  after  the  action  in  which  he  was  mortally 
wounded. 

Portions  of  it  are  so  indistinct  that  it  is  impossible  to  reproduce 
the  whole,  but  the  latter  clauses  (a  fac-simile  of  which  is  presented  on 
opposite  page)  remain  quite  legible. 

At  the  lower  left-hand  corner  appears  an  endorsement  by  Lady 
Hamilton,  detailing  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  recovered. 


AuTOGf\APHS.  195 

Lyinsj;  near  it  is  a  small  box  matlc  from  a  splinter  which  was  lorn  from 
the  "  \'ictory"  cliirin'^'  ihc  action.  The  box,  containing  a  few  locks  of 
Nelson's  hair,  was  presented,  together  with  the  letter,  to  the  British 
Government  by  Lady  Hamilton. 


J^Oyy-     i/l^U^^   C,/Ci^        l4t^      l/l/^XX^  C^O^'J    -^     CUlo->^ 


Nelson  was  born  in  Burnham,  Thorpe,  Norfolk  County,  September 
29,  175s.  He  entered  the  British  Navy  at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  re- 
mained in  continuous  service  until  his  death.  His  first  naval  experi- 
ence was  as  a  Coxswain  of  the  "Cavears,"  which  was  dispatched  upon  a 
voyage  of  discovery  to  the  North  Pole.  Upon  his  return  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  Lieutenant  and  assigned  to  duty  at  various 
stations.     In  1757  he  passed  a  most-creditable  examination  and   was 


196  A  UTO  GR^AP  HS. 

assigned  to  the  command  of  the  "Agamemnon,"  wherein  he  greatly 
distinguished  himself  in  several  battles  on  the  Mediterranean.  He  was 
subsequently  associated  with  Lord  Hood  in  an  expedition  to  Corsica, 
and  cooperated  with  Paoli  against  the  French,  capturing  Bastia  and 
several  other  important  places.  He  afterward  participated  in  the  Battle 
of  Cape  St.  Vincent,  and  was  Knighted  for  distinguished  bravery. 
In  1797  he  was  wounded  in  the  attack  upon  Vera  Cruz,  and  was 
obliged  to  return  to  England,  where  his  right  arm,  having  been  shat- 
tered, was  amputated,  and  a  pension  of  one  thousand  pounds  sterling 
per  annum  was  granted.  When  restored  to  health  he  participated  in 
the  Battles  of  the  Nile,  where  he  won  several  important  victories;  and 
was  allowed  an  additional  pension  of  two  thousand  pounds  sterling  per 
annum.  After  this  he  fought  in  the  harbor  of  Copenhagen,  which  was 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  all  his  engagements.  He  was  then  raised 
to  the  rank  of  Viscount.  In  i8o5,  while  in  command  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean fleet,  he  encountered  the  combined  forces  of  France  and  Spain, 
and  met  his  death,  having  been  struck  in  the  shoulder  by  a  musket 
ball.  His  last  words  were  :  "Thank  God,  I  have  done  my  duty  !  "  The 
body  was  interred  in  the  crypt  of  St.  Pauls  Cathedral,  January  8, 
1806.  His  funeral  was  one  of  the  most  impressive  ever  witnessed 
in  England. 


